The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease

The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease EDITED BY Michael J. Econs, MD Humana Press The Genetics of...

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The Genetics of

Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease EDITED BY

Michael J. Econs, MD

Humana Press

The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease

The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Edited by

Michael J. Econs, MD Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Humana Press Totowa, New Jersey

© 2000 Humana Press Inc. 999 Riverview Drive, Suite 208 Totowa, New Jersey 07512 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the Publisher. All authored papers, comments, opinions, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This publication is printed on acid-free paper. ∞ ANSI Z39.48-1984 (American Standards Institute) Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. Cover designed by Patricia F. Cleary For additional copies, pricing for bulk purchases, and/or information about other Humana titles, contact Humana at the above address or at any of the following numbers: Tel. 973-2561699; Fax: 973-256-8341; E-mail: [email protected] or visit our website at http:// www.humanapress.com Photocopy Authorization Policy: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by Humana Press Inc., provided that the base fee of US $10.00 per copy, plus US $00.25 per page, is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center at 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923. For those organizations that have been granted a photocopy license from the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged and is acceptable to Humana Press Inc. The fee code for users of the Transactional Reporting Service is: [0-89603702-9/00 $10.00 + $00.25]. Printed in the United States of America. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: The genetics of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease / edited by Michael J. Econs. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-89603-702-9 (alk. paper) 1. Bones—Metabolism—Disorders—Genetic aspects. 2. Osteoporosis—Genetic aspects. I. Econs, Michael J. [DNLM: 1. Osteoporosis—genetics. 2. Bone Diseases, Metabolic—genetics. 3. Genetic Predisposition to Disease. 4. Hereditary Diseases. WE 250 G328 2000] RC931.M45 G46 2000 616.7'16042—dc21 99-058332

Preface The explosive growth in the field of molecular biology over the last two decades has started to make a great impact on clinical medicine. Genes have been cloned for diseases that were poorly understood only a decade ago. Additionally, investigators are increasingly aware that there are strong genetic components to complex disorders, such as osteoporosis, that are not classically thought of as genetic disorders. New insights into the pathogenesis of metabolic bone diseases have been obtained from investigations into the molecular biology of these diseases and new therapies will become available based on these new insights. In The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease, I have assembled an internationally renowned group of experts to write the various chapters. Each of the authors is an expert in his/her field who is currently performing research on the content of their chapter and have made important contributions to the understanding of the clinical features and pathophysiology of metabolic bone disease and genetics. The first part of The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease addresses issues related to genetic contributions to the development of osteoporosis and the many factors that must be considered when searching for genes that predispose to osteoporosis. The second section addresses recent advances in the clinical and molecular biological aspects of inherited metabolic bone disorders. The last section reviews the latest techniques for finding genes that predispose to metabolic bone diseases. Michael J. Econs, MD

Dedications This book is dedicated to Lee Win Liu, MD, who has made many sacrifices as I have pursued genes that cause metabolic bone disease. She has worked with me on numerous reunions of families with metabolic bone disorders. These family reunions have almost always occurred during weekends or holidays. The book is also dedicated to Robert and Steven Econs, who have enriched our lives beyond what we could ever have imagined.

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Contents Preface ......................................................................................................... v Contributors .............................................................................................. ix 1 • Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Variance in Bone Size, Mass, and Volumetric Density of the Proximal Femur ................................................................ 1 Ego Seeman 2 • How to Determine If, and by How Much, Genetic Variation Influences Osteoporosis? ......................... 29 John L. Hopper 3 • Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Bone Mineral Homeostasis .............................................. 45 Serge Ferrari, René Rizzoli, and Jean-Philippe Bonjour 4 • Type 1 Collagen Polymorphisms and Osteoporosis ....................................................................... 61 Stuart H. Ralston 5 • Osteogenesis Imperfecta ............................................................... 75 Paul A. Dawson and Joan C. Marini 6 • Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Type I and Type II .................. 95 Sachiko Kitanaka and Shigeaki Kato 7 • Inherited Phosphate Wasting Disorders .................................. 111 Michael J. Econs and Kenneth E. White 8 • X-Linked Nephrolithiasis/Dent’s Disease and Mutations in the ClC-5 Chloride Channel .................. 133 Steven J. Scheinman and Rajesh V. Thakker 9 • Genetics of Tumoral Calcinosis ................................................. 153 Kandaswamy Jayaraj and Kenneth Lyles 10 • Fibrous Dysplasia and the McCune–Albright Syndrome ........ 163 Lee S. Weinstein vii

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11 • The Molecular Basis for Parathyroid Hormone Resistance in Pseudohypoparathyroidism ............................................. 179 Michael A. Levine 12 • Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva ..................................... 211 Eileen M. Shore, John G. Rogers, Roger Smith, Francis H. Gannon, Martin Delatycki, J. Andoni Urtizberea, James Triffitt, Martine Le Merrer, and Frederick S. Kaplan 13 • Disorders Resulting from Inactivating or Activating Mutations in the Ca2+o-Sensing Receptor ............................ 237 Edward M. Brown 14 • Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 (MEN1) ...................... 275 Rajesh V. Thakker 15 • The Ret Signaling System and Its Role in Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma ............................................. 295 Robert F. Gagel and Gilbert Cote 16 • Genetics of Paget’s Disease of Bone.......................................... 309 Frederick R. Singer and Robin J. Leach 17 • Osteopetrosis ................................................................................. 319 L. Lyndon Key, Jr. 18 • Hypophosphatasia ....................................................................... 335 Michael P. Whyte 19 • Jansen and Blomstrand: Two Human Chondrodysplasias Caused by PTH/PTHrP Receptor Mutations ........................... 357 Harald Jüppner and Caroline Silve 20 • Genetic Linkage Analysis in Human Disease ......................... 377 Suzanne M. Leal and Marcy C. Speer 21 • The Identification of Disease Genes in a Candidate Region ............................................................. 415 Fiona Francis and Tim M. Strom 22 • Finding Mutations in Disease Genes ........................................ 431 Peter S. N. Rowe Index ...................................................................................................... 447

Contributors JEAN-PHILIPPE BONJOUR • Division of Bone Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Osteoporosis and Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland EDWARD M. BROWN • Endocrine-Hypertension Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA GILBERT COTE • Associate Professor of Medicine, Section of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX PAUL A. DAWSON • Section on Connective Tissue Disorders, Heritable Disorders Branch, NICHD, NIH, Bethesda, MD MARTIN DELATYCKI • Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, Murdoch Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria, Australia MICHAEL J. ECONS • Departments of Medicine and Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN FIONA FRANCIS • Institut Cochin de Génétique Moléculaire, INSERM U. 129, CHU Cochin Port-Royal, Paris, France SERGE FERRARI • Division of Bone Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Osteoporosis and Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland ROBERT F. GAGEL • Section of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders and Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX FRANCIS H. GANNON • Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA JOHN L. HOPPER • The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia KANDASWAMY JAYARAJ • GRECC, VAMC, Division of Geriatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC HARALD JÜPPNER • Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine and Children’s Service, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA ix

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FREDERICK S. KAPLAN • Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA SHIGEAKI KATO • Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan L. LYNDON KEY, JR. • Department of Pediatrics, General Clinical Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC SACHIKO KITANAKA • Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan ROBIN J. LEACH • Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX SUZANNE M. LEAL • Rockefeller University, New York, New York MARTINE LEMERRER • Hospital Necker, Paris, France MICHAEL A. LEVINE • Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD KENNETH LYLES • GRECC, VAMC, Division of Geriatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC JOAN C. MARINI • Section on Connective Tissue Disorders, Heritable Disorders Branch, NICHD, NIH, Bethesda, MD STUART H. RALSTON • Bone Research Group, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK RENÉ RIZZOLI • Division of Bone Diseases, WHO Collaborating Center for Osteoporosis and Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland JOHN G. ROGERS • Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, Murdoch Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Victoria, Australia PETER S. N. ROWE • Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of London, Royal Free Hospital Medical School, Hampstead, London, UK STEVEN J. SCHEINMAN • Department of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY EGO SEEMAN • Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia CAROLINE SILVE • INSERM U. 426, Faculté de Médecine Xavier Bichat, Paris, France FREDERICK R. SINGER • John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA EILEEN M. SHORE • Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

Contributors

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ROGER SMITH • Medical Research Council Bone Research Laboratory, University of Osvord, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Headington, Oxford, UK MARCY C. SPEER • Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina TIM M. STROM • Abteilung Medizinische Genetik, Kinderklinik, LudwigMaximilians-Universität, Muenchen, Germany RAJESH V. THAKKER • MRC Molecular Endocrinology Group, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK JAMES TRIFFITT • Medical Research Council Bone Research Laboratory, University of Osvord, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Headingdon, Oxford, UK J. ANDONI URTIZBEREA •Association Francaise Contre les Myopathies, Evry, France LEE S. WEINSTEIN • Metabolic Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD KENNETH E. WHITE • Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN MICHAEL P. WHYTE • Metabolic Research Unit, Shriners Hospital for Children and, Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

The Proximal Femur: Size, Mass, Density

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CHAPTER 1

Genetic and Environmental Determinants of Variance in Bone Size, Mass, and Volumetric Density of the Proximal Femur Ego Seeman 1. Introduction The genetic and environmental factors responsible for age, gender and race specific differences in bone fragility and fracture rates of the proximal femur are unknown. There are several possible reasons. First, the phenotype is inadequately defined. Areal bone mineral density (BMD), the surrogate measure of bone fragility used as a predictor of fracture, is a summation of the modeling and remodeling that occurs during growth and aging on the periosteal and endosteal (endocortical, intracortical, trabecular) surfaces of bone. The differing and largely independent modeling and remodeling on these surfaces — during growth, aging, and disease, in men and women, and in different races, suggests the surfaces are regulated differently. Areal BMD is an ambiguous phenotype as it is the net result of the bone added and removed from these surfaces. Its use obscures the pathogenetic basis of bone fragility rather than revealing it. Insight into the regulators of the bone surface remodeling is unlikely to be obtained until the age, gender, and race specific means and variances of these specific phenotypes are described and quantified. Potential genetic and environmental factors hypothesized to explain the variances can then be investigated. Second, there is no experimental evidence to support the notion that gender and racial differences in areal BMD are responsible for the corresponding gender and racial differences in fracture rates. Gender and racial differences in areal BMD are likely to be largely accounted for by corresponding differences in bone The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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size. Little evidence exists for gender or racial differences in volumetric BMD. If volumetric BMD does differ, its structural basis (differences in cortical thickness, true cortical density, trabecular number, or thickness) is largely undefined, except for evidence to support greater trabecular thickness in blacks than whites. Third, a causal relationship is assumed to exist between gender, racial, and secular differences in hip axis length (HAL) and corresponding differences in hip fracture rates. This association has not been tested in a prospective study. Gender, racial, and secular differences in HAL are likely to be due to corresponding differences in leg length. Adjustments by total height may over- or underestimate gender and racial differences in HAL depending on the comparisons made because leg length is greater in men than women, and greater in blacks than whites or Asians. Fourth, the search for genetic factors has not been driven by specific testable hypotheses concerning any age-, gender-, or race-specific biological process such as periosteal apposition, endocortical remodeling. Lack of knowledge of the structural differences that are responsible for the differences in bone fragility between genders and races hampers attempts to find genes that are responsible for these differences.

What Is the Problem — Hip Fractures? Hip fractures are the most serious consequence of bone fragility in terms of morbidity, mortality, and financial burden (1,2). The incidence of hip fractures: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

increases with advancing age in women and men, is higher in women than men, is higher in whites than blacks or Asians, varies from country to country, varies more between countries than between genders, and secular trends in hip fracture incidence have been variously reported to increase, decrease, or remain unchanged during the past 50 yr (1).

Assuming accurate case ascertainment, these gender-, race-, country-, and time-specific estimates of hip fracture incidence are likely to reflect differences in the incidence of falls, the severity of trauma, and underlying bone fragility. This chapter is confined to the discussion of the genetic and environmental factors that may account for differences in bone fragility that may, in turn, contribute to this perplexingly diverse epidemiology of hip fractures.

What Are the Questions? What are the structural elements that contribute to bone strength of the proximal femur? Do they differ according to age, gender, and race? What are the age-,gender-, and race-specific genetic and environmental factors that account for the variance in these structures, i.e., between young and old, women and men, and between races? Do the differences in these structures, and the differences in


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genetic and environmental factors account for the age-,gender-, and racial-differences in hip fracture rates? What structural differences are found at the proximal femoral between individuals with and without hip fractures? Have there been secular changes in these structures that may explain secular trends in the age-, gender-, and race-specific incidence of hip fractures? The majority of these questions have no answers because: 1. there are methodological problems in measuring the phenotypes — the specific structural elements responsible for bone strength, 2. there are methodological problems in identifying associations between candidate genes and these structural elements, and 3. measuring the ‘‘dose’’ of an environmental exposure is difficult.

A most challenging problem is to demonstrate, by experimental design, that the higher hip fracture rate in women than men, or in whites compared to other racial groups is attributable to any gender or racial difference in a phenotype such as bone mineral content (BMC), bone size, areal BMD, bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), or volumetric BMD. Causality is usually inferred when the observation is ‘‘consistent with’’ or ‘‘fits’’ the preconceived notion.

Defining Causality Using an Ambiguous Phenotype — Vagaries of ‘‘Areal BMD’’ As fractures are uncommon annual events, fracture rates are exceedingly difficult endpoints to use in the study of the pathogenesis or treatment of bone fragility. As areal BMD predicts the breaking strength of bone in vitro, and fractures in vivo, this surrogate endpoint of bone strength has been most widely studied at this time. Although some insights have been obtained, areal BMD may not be the appropriate phenotype needed to answer questions regarding the genetic and environmental factors contributing to pathogenesis of bone fragility. Areal BMD is a summation of the periosteal and endosteal (endocortical, intracortical, trabecular) surface modeling and remodeling during growth and aging. It is the summation or net result of the amounts of bone added to, and removed from, these surfaces. As each of these surfaces is regulated differently and responds differently to environmental factors, this integrated endpoint is likely to obscure the ability to detect true causal relationships between genetic and environmental factors and the modeling and remodeling behavior on these surfaces. Areal BMD is incorrectly perceived to be an unambiguous and tightly regulated phenotype. It is not. It is a ‘‘gemish,’’ a mixture, and failure to recognize its limitations is likely to seriously mislead the thinking in the field. The structural basis underlying the development of the macro-and microarchitecture of the skeleton during growth and the loss of mass and structural integrity during aging, are not conveyed by the areal BMD measurement. This phenotype has resulted in the following flawed notions (3): 1. Areal BMD increases during growth; it does not, bone size increases; 2. Peak areal BMD is higher in men than women; it is not, bone size is greater;

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Seeman 3. Areal BMD is stable until menopause in women; it is not, bone loss at the proximal femur is well documented before menopause; 4. Women lose more trabecular bone from the axial skeleton than men; no, trabecular bone loss is similar in women and men (3); 5. Cortical bone loss is greater in women than men; no, net loss is greater because endocortical resorption is greater and subperiosteal formation is less in women than men; 6. Blacks have higher areal BMD than whites, who in turn have higher areal BMD than Asians — this is largely (but not entirely) due to differences in bone size rather than due to differences in volumetric BMD (3).

Growth in Femoral Width and Cortical Thickness and The Constancy of Volumetric Density The increase in size and bone mass of the proximal femur produces the picture of increasing areal BMD during growth (Fig. 1, upper panels) (4). As the femur increases in length and diameter, cortical thickness increases so that the amount of bone within the growing bone increases in absolute terms (i.e., compared with its value in grams in younger individuals) but the increase in external size is matched by a commensurate increase in cortical thickness so that the amount of bone in the bone, i.e., the volumetric BMD of the femur does not change (Fig. 1, lower panels). The increase in cortical thickness is achieved by expansion of periosteal diameter with less expansion of the endocortical (medullary) diameter of long bones such as the metacarpals and femur (5). (If the endocortical diameter and periosteal diameter expanded in parallel, cortical thickness would not increase despite the bone enlarging so that volumetric BMD would fall.) Endocortical contraction occurs in females and perhaps to a lesser extent in males, in early puberty with a sharp rise in cortical width so that by maturity, about 75% of metacarpal cortical width is due to periosteal expansion while 25% is due to endocortical contraction in females. Whether the pattern of development is similar at the femur is less certain. Provisional data suggests that the process is similar at the femoral midshaft but endocortical (medullary) contraction occurs later than at the metacarpal, consistant with the later growth and maturation of proximal than distal limb segments (6) (Fig. 2). The clinical relevance of this regional growth may emerge when exposure occurs to disease or risk factors; regions or surfaces further from their peak may be affected more greatly than regions nearer their peak. Medullary contraction may fail to occur at one or more sites depending on the timing of exposure. If volumetric BMD of the growing bone is constant from birth to adulthood, i.e., independent of age, then the position of an individual’s volumetric BMD in the population distribution at any age is likely to be determined prenatally. That is, the factors that determine whether an individual has a femoral volumetric BMD at the 5th or 95th percentile are likely to be deter-


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Fig. 1. Areal and volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral shaft versus age in males and females. (Adapted with permission from ref. 4.)

mined before birth — unless an individual’s volumetric BMD can change percentiles. This does not occur for height unless there is illness or recovery from illness. The structural differences responsible for femoral volumetric BMD being in the 5th percentile compared to 95th percentile are not known. Until these morphological differences between individuals within a decade as well as across decades are defined, identifying the genetic and environmental causes for these differences will be difficult. The evidence that genetic factors may determine the variance in areal BMD in old age is partly based on studies in mother-daughter pairs. Areal BMD z scores or standardized deviations (SD, mean ± SEM) in 74 women mean age 73 yr with hip fractures was about – 0.5 SD at the femoral neck, – 1.0 SD at the femoral shaft, and – 0.4 SD at the lumbar spine (7). Respective z scores in 41 daughters mean age 44 yr, were – 0.4 SD, – 0.4 SD, and + 0.23 SD. The deficit at the femoral shaft in the daughters (relative to their peers) was about half the deficit of the mothers (relative to their peers) — consistent with the genetic hypothesis (8). Daughters of women with spine fractures had deficits in areal BMD at the spine of about – 0.8 SD. The deficits at the proximal femur were similar to those reported in daughters of women with hip fractures (9). The differing temporal patterns of growth of the axial and appendicular skeleton may be antecedents for deficits at the femur but not spine, or deficits at both sites (3,6) .

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Fig. 2. Periosteal diameter of the third metacarpal and femoral midshaft increases as age advances. Endocortical diameter increases and then contracts; earlier at the metacarpal than femoral midshaft. (Adapted with permission from ref. 6.)

Differences in Bone Mass, Size, and Volumetric Density Patients with and without Fractures As areal BMD measurement does not entirely adjust for bone size, it remains possible that the resemblance in the areal BMD in the mother-daughter pairs may be explained by resemblance in bone size, rather than resemblance in volumetric BMD (and therefore cortical thickness, trabecular number, and thickness). Women and men with spine fractures have smaller vertebral bone size than age- and gender-matched controls (10,11). Men with hip fractures may have smaller femoral neck width than controls while women with hip fractures may have larger femoral neck width than controls (12). Thus, the lower areal BMD in women with spine fractures and men with spine or hip fractures may be at least partly due to the smaller bone size rather than reduced volumetric BMD. The lower areal BMD in women with hip fractures (with larger bones) may be an underestimate — the deficit in volumetric BMD may be less than the deficit in areal BMD. The smaller size may be due to attainment of a smaller bone size during growth, the failure of periosteal appositional growth during aging, or both. There is less bone in the bone because peak bone mass attained during growth may be reduced, and/or bone loss may have been excessive. The structural basis of less bone in bone may be thinner cortices, fewer or thinner trabeculae, or reduced true bone density of bony tissue. The observation that men with hip fractures have


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smaller femoral neck width, whereas women with hip fractures have larger femoral neck width, requires independent confirmation. The possible mechanisms responsible are uncertain. However, to speculate, hypogonadism during growth may contribute to the smaller bone size in men because testosterone regulates periosteal growth. The larger bone size in women may be the result of delayed epiphyseal fusion and continued growth in size due to estrogen deficiency.

Gender Differences The failure of densitometry to entirely account for differences in bone size may also be responsible for the notion that proximal femoral areal BMD is higher in males than females. Gender comparisons of bone mass, size, and volumetric BMD in males and females are shown in Fig. 3 (12). There are gender differences in bone mass and volume but not volumetric BMD. Peak spine and proximal femoral volumetric BMD is similar in men and women (13). Iliac crest trabecular bone volume, trabecular number, and thickness do not differ in men and women (14). Radial volumetric BMD is also no different in boys and girls (15). However, Butz et al. reported higher trabecular and total radial volumetric BMD in men than women using peripheral quantitative computed tomomgraphy (16). Zanchetta et al. found no differences in radial areal BMD in boys and girls, whereas gender differences in femoral areal BMD emerged at 16 yr of age (17). Whether differences in pubertal stage were accounted for is unclear. As puberty occurs 2 yr later in boys than girls, matching boys and girls by pubertal stage means that there will be mismatch by age, matching by age means there will be mismatch by pubertal stage. Close examination of whether there are gender differences in proximal femoral volumetric BMD is needed. If so, the morphological basis of any gender differences — cortical thickness, trabecular number and thickness, or true density of these bony structures need to be defined. Gender differences in bone size are probably present prenatally and have been described during the first years of life (18,19). In addition, men have bigger bones than women because puberty occurs two years later, growth velocity is greater and continues longer. As puberty is associated with cessation of growth in leg length, this two additional years of growth results in men having greater leg length than women. Puberty is associated with accelerated trunk growth. Delayed puberty may result in longer legs and a shorter trunk, but final height may not be compromised. Of the 13 cm difference in height between women and men, 10 cm is due to prepubertal growth. Of the 13 cm difference, 8 cm is due to the greater leg length, and 5 cm is due to the greater trunk length in men (20,21). The later puberty in the male than female results in differences in segment lengths. A male of the same height as a female is likely to have longer legs and greater areal BMD of the femur because of the size difference — volumetric BMD is similar (12,13). Testosterone results in increased periosteal width while estrogen is growth limiting in the female resulting in reduced femoral periosteal width. As shown in Fig. 4, gonadectomy in the growing male rat results in smaller femoral bone mass

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Fig. 3. Femoral neck bone mass, volume, and volumetric bone mineral density (VBMD) in men (closed circles) and women (open circles). From Duan and Seeman (adapted with permission from ref. 12).

and volume with less bone in the (smaller) bone. Gonadectomy in the female rat results in a bigger femur (with little change in the growth rate of the spine). The larger femur produces in the seemingly anomalous finding of normal BMC or


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Fig. 4. Gonadectomy (Gx) results in reduced femoral mass, volume, and volumetric density in the growing male rat but no change in bone mass relative to controls, increased volume and reduced volumetric density in the growing female rat. Gx, dashed line; control, full line. (Adapted with permission from ref. 22.)

areal BMD following gonadectomy (a larger femur is compared with a smaller femur in the control) but volumetric BMD is reduced because the increase in mass

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is not in proportion to the increase in size so that the bigger bone has relatively less bone within it (22). Thus, gonadectomy in the male and female rat result in osteoporosis by fundamentally different mechanisms.

Racial Differences The vast majority of studies report ethnic differences in areal BMD at one or more sites, with, in general higher areal BMD at the proximal femur in blacks than whites, and higher areal BMD in whites than Asians (23–27). No differences at the spine or radius are often reported. Adjustments for height, weight, projected bone area reduced the racial differences by 20 to 50 %, but do not generally eliminate them. For example, Daniels et al. (1997) reported that spinal (and distal radial) areal BMD were no different in premenopausal blacks and whites, and no different in postmenopausal blacks and whites. However, premenopausal blacks had 12% higher femoral neck areal BMD, higher BMAD at lumbar spine and femoral neck (28). Postmenopausal blacks had 16.5% higher femoral neck areal BMD, higher BMAD at lumbar spine and femoral neck. Nelson et al. (1995) reported that 34 blacks aged 23 to 80 yr had higher areal BMD than 160 white men at the radius (5%), lumbar spine (10%), and femoral neck (20%) before and after adjustment for BMI (29). Ross et al. (1996) reported that areal BMD was 3.7 to 6.6% lower in 162 Asian women than in 1367 Caucasian and aged 45 to 59 yr (30). On adjusting for height, lean body mass, fat mass, and/or quadriceps muscle strength, areal BMD was lower in Asian women only at the lateral spine (4.4%), arm (2.2%), and leg (1.65%), while wrist aBMD was 4.6% greater. These inaccurate means of adjusting for bone size differences may contribute to the contradictory and confusing literature (3). The reported higher areal BMD in blacks than whites, and higher areal BMD in whites than Asians are widely accepted as ‘‘causing’’ the higher fracture rates in whites than blacks or Asians despite the lack of evidence for a causal relationship. It is likely that most, but perhaps not all, of the differences in areal BMD reported in blacks compared to whites are explained by differences in bone size. On average, blacks are taller than whites, whites are taller than Asians and Hispanics. The differences in height may be due to differences in upper body size, lower body size, or both (31–34). Blacks have longer leg length and shorter trunk length that whites and so should be found to have higher areal BMD at the femur and similar or lower areal BMD at the spine than whites of comparable total height. Asians have shorter legs and longer trunks than whites so that if Asians and whites are matched for height, reduced proximal femoral areal BMD and higher lumbar spine areal BMD should be found given the average segment length differences. Black children may have more advanced skeletal age than white children of comparable chronological age (35). In a study of 1942 blacks and 3046 whites, skeletal age was about 0.5 SD more advanced in blacks than whites. Height was about 0.25 SD more advanced in blacks of both genders. Thus, comparisons of black


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and white children, males and females, must take skeletal maturation, chronological age, and pubertal staging into consideration. Until size differences are taken into account by measurement of the size of the bone itself, differences in ‘density’ should be viewed sceptically. Secular increases have occurred in total height, sitting height, and leg length during the last 50 yr in whites, blacks, and Asians (36–38). The epidemiology of the secular changes are as perplexingly varied as is the epidemiology of hip fractures; with gender-specific, race-specific- upper and/or lower body segment specific increases reported. Secular increases have been reported in upper and lower body segments in females and males. However, in some studies, secular changes were confined to one gender or one body segment. Within a community, secular trends may be found in the lower, but not higher, socioeconomic group. Secular changes in the frequency or severity of falls, in the magnitude of bone loss during aging, in factors regulating peak bone mass, size, shape, volumetric BMD, body proportions, or age at menarche may contribute to the trends in the epidemiology of hip fractures (1,2). The genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors that may contribute to racial differences in bone size are not unknown. The evidence that structural differences exist between races is fragmentary and contradictory. No histomorphometric data are available for the proximal femur. However, findings in the iliac crest suggest that premenopausal blacks have greater trabecular thickness but not numbers than white women (39). By contrast, no racial differences were detected in other studies (40–42). A difference in true bone density may result in a higher volumetric BMD in men than women or in blacks than whites. Blacks have been reported to have a lower mineralized matrix apposition rate, a longer bone formation period which may allow a greater deposition of bone mineral. In part, the increase in areal BMD following bisphosphonates may be due to the slower bone turnover, allowing more complete mineralization of bone (43). Harris et al. reported that a thymidine–cytosine polymorphism exists in the first of the two potential translation initiation sites of the VDR gene detectable using the endonuclease, FokI (44). The FokI genotype was determined in 72 black and 82 white premenopausal women. In the whole group, ff women had 7.4% lower femoral neck areal BMD than FF women. In whites, ff women had 12.1% lower femoral neck areal BMD than FF. Lumbar areal BMD did not differ by genotype. FokI genotype reduced the racial difference in femoral neck areal BMD by 35%. The authors concluded that the polymorphism influenced peak areal BMD and differences in its distribution may partly explain racial variations in areal BMD. Any association with bone size was not reported (see Chapter 3 for more detail on the VDR). Rosen et al. reported differences in femoral volumetric BMD of up to 50% in C3H compared to B6 mouse strains (45). F1 progeny females had intermediate IGF-I and femoral BMD values between the parental strains. F2 progeny with highest BMD had highest IGF-I with about 35% of the variance in femoral BMD attributed to serum IGF-I. The IGF-I in calvariae, tibiae, and femora was 32% higher in C3H. The authors

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conclude that the difference in volumetric BMD between strains may be related to systemic and skeletal IGF-I synthesis. Whether this reflects a causal relationship is unclear. The morphological basis of the higher volumetric BMD at this cortical site was not clearly defined. It may be due to a thicker cortex or a cortex of higher true mineral density, or both. If size is an important factor accounting for gender and racial differences in areal BMD, then what factors account for the differing fracture epidemiology? Is the difference in bone size the main morphological variable accounting for differences in bone fragility? What genetic and environmental factors account for gender and racial differences in bone size, for the variance in cortical thickness, trabecular number, and trabecular thickness; the structural components of volumetric BMD? If true density is higher then the determinants of variance in mineralization need to be studied.

Hip Axis Length HAL, is the distance from greater trochanter to inner pelvic brim. HAL increases during growth to reach a peak length at 15 yr (46). Height was the only independent predictor of HAL. Height adjusted correlations for HAL in 176 monozygotic (MZ) pairs vs 128 dizygotic (DZ) pairs were 0.79 (95% CI 0.73, 0.84) vs 0.54 (95% CI 0.39, 0.68). About 80% of variation in HAL was attributable to additive genetic factors. This fell to 51% on adjusting for shared environmental factors. The authors suggested that about 10% of the increased risk of hip fracture associated with maternal hip fracture history may be due to genes determining HAL. In a study of adult twins, MZ correlations for areal BMD and geometry ranging between 0.36 to 0.81 and were higher than the DZ trait correlations except femoral neck (47). Heritability was between 0.72 and 0.78 for regional areal BMD, the center of mass of the femoral neck, and the resistance of the femoral neck to forces experienced in a fall, but not for femoral neck length. Arden et al. reported that heritability in 128 identical and 122 nonidentical pairs of female twins aged 50 to 70 years was 0.62 (CI 0.22, 1.02) for HAL and was unchanged after adjustment for areal BMD suggesting that variances for bone architecture as well as areal BMD are genetically determined (48). HAL is reported to be an independent predictor of hip fracture. Differences in HAL have been observed between genders, races, and between hip fracture cases and controls. Faulkner et al. reported that HAL was 3.4% greater in 64 hip fracture cases compared with 134 controls (49). For each SD increase in HAL, fracture risk increased 1.8-fold (95% CI 1.3, 2.5), for each SD fall in BMD, fracture risk increased 2.7-fold (95% CI 1.7, 4.3). Boonen et al. compared 105 women with spine fractures (type I or postmenopausal osteoporosis, 30 with hip fractures (type II or senile osteoporosis) and 75 controls. Femoral neck areal BMD was no different in the two osteoporotic groups, but HAL was greater in the type II group relative to the others (50). The women with spinal fractures were the same height as the hip fracture cases. If the hip fracture cases had been matched with women in the spinal fracture


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group who were shorter (but who would have been the same height had they not had spinal fracture), then the difference in HAL may have been even greater. The 40% lower rate of hip fracture in Asian women and 50% lower hip fracture rates in black women relative to white women are inferred to be due to a greater HAL in whites. HAL was 6.7 ± 0.4 in 135 whites, 6.3 ± 0.3 in 74 Asians, and 6.4 ± 0.4 cm in 50 blacks (P < 0.01 for Asians and blacks compared with whites with differences persisted after height adjustments (51). The shorter HAL conferred an odds ratio for hip fracture of 0.53 (95% CI, 0.37 to 0.76, Asian) and of 0.68 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.85, blacks) compared to whites. Nelson et al. reported that 34 black and 160 white men aged 23 to 80 yr had no difference in HAL (29). Mikhail et al. found greater HAL and femoral neck width in 50 black compared to white premenopausal women (52). In a study of 57 Japanese and 119 white women, whites had greater femoral neck BMC (3.91 vs 3.02 g), cross-sectional moment of inertia (0.99 vs 0.57 cm4), femoral neck length (5.6 vs 4.4 cm), and femoral neck angle (130 vs 128 degrees). The lower risk of femoral neck fracture in Japanese women was attributed to a shorter femoral neck and a smaller femoral neck angle (53). Daniels et al. reported that premenopausal whites had longer femoral neck axis length than blacks (6.5 ± 0.4 vs 6.1 ± 0.4 cm) (28). Among postmenopausal subjects, femoral neck axis length was 6.5 ± 0.4 cm in whites and 6.0 ± 0.3 cm in blacks. Chin et al. reported that femoral neck length in premenopausal women was 61.5 mm in 52 Chinese, 61.5 mm in 50 Indians, 66.0 mm in 71 Europeans, and 68.2 mm in 52 Polynesians (54). HAL in the respective groups was 98.0, 94.5, 102.3, and 106.4 mm. The Polynesians were heavier and taller than other groups, followed by the Europeans. The lower incidence of hip fracture in Asians was attributed to shorter femoral neck length. The very low incidence of hip fracture in Polynesians could not be reconciled with the larger HAL. Reid et al. (1994) reported a secular increase in HAL and femoral neck length between 1953 and 1990 and suggested that the increased HAL could account for much of the increase in fracture rates in the last 40 yr (55). The notion of a ‘‘longer’’ or ‘‘shorter’’ HAL may be a function of the size of the femur itself. Height adjustments are unlikely to be a satisfactory way of adjusting for differences in bone size because of racial differences in body segment lengths. Women have shorter legs than men so a shorter HAL is difficult to reconcile with the higher hip fracture rates in women than men. Asians have shorter legs than whites of comparable height. Thus, the shorter HAL may reflect this difference in bone size. Finding a shorter HAL in blacks may be a conservative bias as blacks have longer legs than whites. A secular increase in HAL may occur along with a secular increase in lower body size. Whether these differences in HAL ‘‘cause’’ the gender, racial and secular differences in hip fractures is speculative. There have been no randomized trials undertaken where a group of subjects were stratified by HAL matching by design so that important factors influencing hip fracture risk equally represented in both groups (e.g., bone mass, size, density, age, and illnesses).

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Seeman Bone Loss — The Net Effect of Endosteal Resorption and Periosteal Apposition

Bone loss from the proximal femur is well documented before menopause in women and probably begins in men soon after attainment of peak areal BMD. Ravn et al. report proximal femoral areal BMD in 1238 healthy white women aged 21 to 75 yr (56). Premenopausal women aged 21 to 54 yr showed bone loss in the femoral neck (0.3%/yr) and Ward’s triangle (0.6%/yr). Postmenopausal areal BMD loss ranged from 9 to 13% in the first five years after menopause, rising to 17 to 30% after 20 yr. Tsai et al. measured bone mass and areas of the proximal femur in 202 Chinese men and 507 Chinese women aged 21 to 70 yr (57). Areal BMD was 10 to 15% lower than published values in Caucasians. Femoral neck and trochanteric areal BMD were lower in women than men although premenopausal women had higher femoral neck areal BMD than men. At Ward’s triangle, areal BMD in men was similar to that in premenopausal women. areal BMD decreased with age at a rate of –0.2 to –1.0% per year, with a smaller decrement in men than women. The mechanisms responsible for bone loss in young adulthood are not well documented because they are difficult to detect in an individual. In part, the changes may be an artefact of a fall in marrow cellularity and increase in marrow adipose cells of the proximal femur, which will result in a lower areal BMD (58). Moreover, it is possible that cortical mineral accrual and consolidation may still be occurring in adults between the ages of 20 to 30 yr while trabecular bone may reach its adult peak in earlier adulthood and start to decrease, whereas cortical accrual continues. Densitometric methods will integrate the subtle cortical accrual and trabecular bone loss to suggest no changes have occurred. Furthermore, the age of attainment of peak areal BMD and commencement of bone loss also varies by race (59). Both men and women lose bone with advancing age. Subperiosteal expansion occurs in men during aging and perhaps less so in women (12,60). The reason women lose more bone than men is because endocortical resorption is greater, and, periosteal formation is less than in men (Fig. 5). Finding greater periosteal expansion at puberty in boys than girls (5), and greater periosteal expansion during aging in men than women, suggests that this may be partly a testosterone dependent process. The smaller bone size in men with spine or hip fractures may be partly due to reduced subperiosteal expansion. Whether this in turn may be due to testosterone deficiency or growth hormone deficiency is also unknown. Heaney et al. reported 21 yr follow-up in 170 Caucasian women aged 35 to 45 yr. Femoral neck and shaft external diameters increased with age (0.135%/yr and 0.229%/yr). Women with bb genotype of the Bsm1 polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor had greater shaft expansion and a greater increase in cortical area (61). Whether this association is causal is uncertain. If causal the physiological mechanisms mediating this greater expansion are undefined. This was not a randomized trial


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Fig. 5. Left, men. Right, women. Cortical bone loss is less in men than women because endocortical resorption is greater in women than men, and subperiosteal formation is greater in men than women. (Adapted with permission from ref. 60.)

so that the greater expansion associated with the bb genotype may be due to unmeasured confounders. The commonly held view that proximal femoral bone loss decelerates in old age is based on cross sectional data. Prospective studies suggest that bone loss accelerates in old age and that the bone loss is probably predominantly cortical in origin. Ensrud et al. showed that rates of decline in areal BMD at the proximal femur, measured in 5698 community-living white women aged >61 yr, increased with age from 2.5 mg/cm2 per year in women aged 67–69 yr to 10.4 mg/cm2 per year in women aged >85 yr (62). Greenspan et al. report femoral areal BMD in 85 healthy, community living women aged 66 to 93 yr showed annual rates of bone loss at total hip (– 0.74%) and intertrochanter (–1.14%). Cross-sectional analysis indicated annual rates of bone loss were about – 0.8% at the femoral neck, total hip, trochanter, intertrochanteric region, and Ward’s triangle (63). Continued bone loss may be due to secondary hyperparathyroidism, which increases cortical bone remodeling and activation frequency. Endosteal bone resorption and intracortical remodeling increase bone fragility in the proximal femur. Cortical bone surfaces increase as intracortical and endocortical resorption continues increasing the surface available for resorption to take place with a subsequent increase in bone turnover and bone loss. The increased numbers of sites undergoing remodeling are partly due to secondary hyperparathyroidism with imbalance at the BMU forming the morphological basis of the bone loss. The reduced bone formation results in a negative bone balance and bone loss and may be due to reduced osteoblastic progenitor cell availability (64,65). Trabecular bone loss may contribute less to bone loss as trabeculae are lost.

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How can the genetic and environmental factors responsible for the variance of bone loss be studied if the phenotypic components of loss are imprecisely defined? The bone loss is the net result of resorption and formation on the endocortical, trabecular, intracortical surfaces, and subperiosteal bone formation. Understanding the genetic and environmental factors influencing femoral bone loss requires the study of the genetic and environmental determinants of remodeling on each of these surfaces in men and women at different ages. Direct measurement of these surfaces can be achieved using peripheral QCT or radiographic morphometry.

Defining Causality Using Associations Between Areal BMD and Genetic Markers of Unmeasured Candidate Genes Reports of possible associations between candidate genes and bone surface modeling and remodeling are nonexistent. Most of the studies that have been done have used areal BMD as the phenotype. A true association between genotypes and areal BMD may exist but methodological problems such as small study samples may have precluded the detection of this association in many studies, especially if the effect on areal BMD is small. (The small effect may nevertheless be important if the genotype is common.) Susceptibility geneenvironment interactions have been proposed to account for the null or contradictory data. These gene-environment interactions may occur but are very difficult to identify because small study samples, low frequency of a susceptibility gene, and low exposure to an environmental factor may preclude the detection of this interaction. The difficulty in identifying an increased risk due to gene-environment interaction is even greater if the exposure results in an increased fracture risk through nongenomically mediated mechanisms. These methodological limitations may result in negative results interpreted as ‘‘no effect’’ rather than ‘‘no detectable effect.’’ The genes and gene products that regulate the gain in bone size or mass during growth, and the loss of bone mass during aging are not known. Associations between proximal femoral areal BMD and polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor, estrogen receptor, and type 1 collagen genes are inconsistent, contradictory, or negative (66,67). Associations between vitamin D receptor genotypes and areal BMD have been reported in some, but not all, studies. In many studies, one genotype was compared with the other one or two; the choice of genotype groupings were dictated by the data. Few, if any studies, explain more than 1–3% of the variance in areal BMD and it is now most unlikely that any single genetic marker can be used to predict an individual’s hip fracture risk — either by association with higher or lower BMD, higher or lower bone turnover, or experimentally proven higher or lower hip fracture incidence.


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Moreover, the search for genes associated with bone fragility has not been driven by a hypothesis regarding bone fragility. For example, periosteal diameter may be an important determinant of bone strength, and gender or racial differences in periosteal diameter may be related to differences in fracture rates. Do some individuals have a greater periosteal growth response to growth hormone/IGF-1? Are there growth hormone/IGF-1 or androgen receptor polymorphisms associated with greater periosteal bone growth? Cortical thickness is determined by periosteal expansion before, during, and after puberty and endocortical contraction during puberty in females. Are there IGF-1, estrogen receptor, or androgen receptor polymorphisms associated with differing degrees of accrual of cortical thickness? These surfaces are easily measured with accuracy and precision. Although several studies have suggested that bone loss at the proximal femur occurs more rapidly in individuals with the vitamin D receptor BB genotype, these studies are based on post hoc analyses. Likewise, studies purporting an association between a genotype and areal BMD response to dietary calcium or vitamin D have not been designed with prior stratification by genotype and then randomization to placebo versus intervention. The lack of stratification and randomization means that measured or unmeasured confounders may explain any observed difference in rates of loss or treatment effects associated with, and falsely ascribed to, a genotype.

Genetic and Environmental Components of Variance Quantifying total variance and estimating its genetic and environmental components can be achieved by studying correlations between twins. If the MZ correlation exceeds the DZ correlation, the excess is due to shared genes. If the only reason twins are correlated is shared genes, then rmz = 2 rdz. If the DZ correlation is greater than one half the MZ correlation, then the amount by which it is greater must be attributed to the effects of environmental factors shared by twins: the common environmental variance. For a discussion of the pros and cons of twin studies see Chapter 2. Hopper et al. reported that total variance in femoral neck areal BMD increased during and after pubertal growth (Fig. 6, gray bars) (68). Most of the total variance was attributable to genetic factors (black bars). However, the genetic variance in twins aged 13–17 yr was less than in twins aged 10–13 yr, while the common environmental variance was higher in the 13–17 yr olds (white bars). The covariance increased in MZ twins as did the total variance, whereas the covariance of DZ twins increased during adolescence but then decreased in early adulthood. Identical twins may choose a similar lifestyle in adulthood so that they remain similar, whereas DZ twins may pursue independent lifestyles and become increasingly dissimilar. As shown in Fig. 7, total variance (black bars) differs in magnitude from site to site as do the genetic (whites bars), common and individual environmental components of the total variance (gray and hatched bars respectively). Genetic variance in elderly twins accounts for most of the total variance

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Fig. 6. Total variance (grey bars) in areal bone mineral density (BMD) at the femoral neck is largely accounted for by genetic variance (black bars). In twins aged 13–17 yr, there was a significant common environmental component of variance (white bars). (Adapted with permission from ref. 68.)

in areal BMD, but a large common environmental component of variance was identified at the forearm (69). The factors responsible for the differences in the size of the variance and the genetic and environmental components are unknown. In a study in adult twins, total variance (g2/cm4 × 104) was lower at the femoral neck than lumbar spine (Fig. 8) (70). For femoral neck areal BMD, the genetic variance was 108 after adjusting for age alone (black bars) or 63% of the total variance (108 + 64 = 172). After adjusting for age and lean mass the genetic variance decreased by 16% from 108 to 92 (gray bars) but the common environmental variance remained unchanged. At the lumbar spine, the additive genetic variance was 200, about twice that observed at the femoral sites. Adjusting for lean mass reduced the additive genetic variance by only 2%. Thus, areal BMD is associated with lean mass, the more so at the femoral sites. A reduction in variance of proximal femoral areal BMD, but not spine areal BMD, after adjusting for lean mass suggests that exercise may be important at the former site. If this was the case, however, then the fall in variance on adjusting for lean mass should have been in the environmental component (although one cannot exclude the possibility that genetic factors also explain variation in exercise). The fall in the genetic component suggests that there are genetic determinants of both areal BMD and lean mass. That is, there are genes that influence variation in both areal BMD and lean mass. To explore this possibility we studied 56 monozygotic (MZ) and 56 dizygotic (DZ) female twin pairs, mean age 45 yr (range 24–67), same-trait correlations in MZ pairs were double those in DZ pairs for femoral neck areal BMD (0.62 vs 0.33) and lean mass (0.87 vs 0.30; all P < 0.001). Areal BMD and lean mass correlate in the same individual, i.e., in self (r = 0.43). In MZ pairs the age-


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Fig. 7. Total variance (black bars) and its components; genetic (white bars), common environmental (gray bars) and individual environmental (hatched bars). Genetic variance in elderly twins accounts for most of the total variance in areal BMD, but a large common environmental component was identified at the forearm. (Adapted with permission from ref. 69.)

adjusted areal BMD of one twin correlated with the age-adjusted lean mass of the other (r = 0.31 in MZ pairs, i.e., approx 75% of the cross-trait correlation in self, and almost double that in the DZ pairs (r = 0.19). When adjusting for age alone,

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Fig. 8. Left, femoral neck. Right, lumbar spine. Total variance was lower at the femoral neck than lumbar spine. For femoral neck areal bone mineral density, the age-adjusted genetic variance (black bars) decreased by 16% after adjusting for lean mass (gray bars); the common environmental variance remained unchanged. At the lumbar spine adjusting for lean mass reduced the genetic variance by only 2%. (Adapted with permission from ref. 70.)

the cross-trait correlation in MZ pairs was greater than the cross-trait correlation in DZ pairs at the femoral sites. The proportion of the covariance attributable to genetic factors, was about 0.55–0.85. However, after adjusting both areal BMD and lean mass for age, fat mass, and height, the covariance was reduced by more than half, and the MZ cross-trait correlations were no longer different to the corresponding DZ cross-trait correlations. That is, there was no evidence for genetic factors explaining the remaining covariance between areal BMD and lean mass once adjustment had been made for the effects of fat mass and height on these two traits. Therefore, genetic factors account for 60–80% of the individual variances of femoral neck areal BMD and lean mass, and for over 50% of their covariance. The association between greater muscle mass and greater areal BMD is likely to be determined by genes regulating size.

Using the Twin Model to Control for Genes and Measure Environmental Exposure It may be difficult to detect the contribution of an environmental factor in explaining the variance in areal BMD or in a specific skeletal structure given that: 1. Genetic differences within the population result in a large amount of trait variation across the population, 2. The level of exposure (i.e., “dose”) to an environmental factor is difficult to measure,


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Fig. 9. The co-twin difference (greater minus lesser smoker) in areal bone density expressed as a percentage vs the co-twin difference in pack-years of exposure for the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and femoral shaft. Monozygotic twins (closed circles) and dizygotic twins (open circles). 3. The effects of the environmental factor may be small and difficult to measure, yet important if the exposure is common.

Greater insight into the effect of an environmental factor can be obtained by controlling for genetic variation by using the co-twin control design, plotting the dependent variable — the co-twin difference in areal BMD, and preferably more specific the structural endpoints such as bone size, trabecular number,

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thickness, cortical thickness, periosteal growth, endosteal growth—as a function of the co-twin difference in the exposure such as calcium intake, sex hormone concentrations or other variables. For example, in Fig. 9, the co-twin differences in areal BMD at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and femoral shaft are plotted against the within-pair difference in pack-years of exposure to smoking (71). A deficit in areal BMD at the lumbar spine of about 9 % was found for exposure of 20–30 pack-years. Some important information may emerge provided that exposure to exercise, dietary calcium, or other nutritional factors can be measured accurately, and the effect is cumulative and sufficiently large to be detected without needing prohibitively large numbers of twins discordant for exposure. (Over 1000 twin pairs were surveyed in order to detect the 41 pairs sufficiently discordant for smoking to give the data of Fig. 9.) Given a sufficient sample size, geneenvironment interaction could be elegantly demonstrated by comparing the co-twin differences in groups with differing genotypes; e.g., subjects with the BB, Bb, or bb VDR genotypes. A difference in the slopes would be consistent with a gene-environment interaction.

Conclusion Knowledge of the specific genetic and environmental factors that contribute to differences in fracture rates between young and old, between women and men, and between races is limited. This may be partly due to the lack of a detailed understanding of the structural basis of bone fragility. Although some progress may have been made using areal BMD, areal BMD cannot be relied upon as the phenotypic endpoint in the study of the pathophysiology of osteoporosis. It will be difficult to answer questions regarding the genetic and environmental factors explaining the population variance in a trait until the phenotype is unambiguously defined. Advances will require the description of the age-, gender-, and racespecific means and variances of trabecular number, thickness, spacing, and orientation, cortical thickness, and bone size and shape in women and men of different racial groups. The purported genetic and modifiable environmental determinants hypothesized to explain the variances can then be investigated to determine whether these factors partly account for gender and racial differences in fracture rates.

References 1. Melton, L. J. III, Atkinson, E. J., and Madhok, R. (1996) Downturn in hip fracture incidence. Public Health Rep. 111, 146–150. 2. Gullberg, B., Johnell, O., and Kanis, J. A. (1997) World-wide projections for hip fracture. Osteoporosis Int. 7, 407–413. 3. Seeman, E. (1997) From density to structure: growing up and growing old on the surfaces of bone. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12(4), 1–13.


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4. Lu, P. W., Cowell, C. T., Lloyd-Jones, S. A., Brody, J. N., and Howman-Giles, R. (1996) Volumetric bone mineral density in normal subjects aged 5–27 years. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 81, 1586–1590. 5. Garn, S. M. (1970) The Earlier Gain and Later Loss of Cortical Bone. Charles C. Thomas Publishers, Springfield, IL. 6. Bass, S., Pearce, G., and Seeman, E. Regional heterogeneity in growth of the axial and appendicular bone mass, bone size and bone density: implications regarding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of fractures (submitted). 7. Seeman, E., Tsalamandris, C., Formica, C., Hopper, J. L., and McKay, J. (1994) Reduced femoral neck bone density in the daughters of women with hip fractures: the role of low peak bone density in the patho-genesis of osteoporosis. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 739–743. 8. Hopper, J. L. (1993) Variance components for statistical genetics: applications in medical research to characteristics related to human diseases and health. Stat. Methods Med. Res. 2, 199–223. 9. Seeman, E., Hopper, J., Bach, L., Cooper, M., McKay, J., and Jerums, G. (1989) Reduced bone mass in the daughters of women with osteoporosis. N. Engl. J. Med. 320, 554–558. 10. Gilsanz, V., Loro, M. L., Roe, T. F., Sayre, J., Gilsanz, R., and Schulz, E. E. (1995) Gender differences in vertebral size in adults: biomechanical implications. J. Clin. Invest. 95, 2332–2337. 11. Vega, E., Ghiringhelli, G., Mautalen, C., Valzacchi, G. Rey, Scaglia, H., and Zylberstein, C. (1998) Bone mineral density and bone size in men with primary osteoporosis and vertebral fractures. Calcif. Tissue Int. 62, 465–469. 12. Duan, Y. and Seeman, E. The differing contributions of bone mass and size to the deficit in volumetric bone density in men and women with spinal or hip fractures (submitted). 13. Kelly, P. J., Twomey, L., Sambrook, P. N., and Eisman, J. A. (1990) Sex differences in peak adult bone mineral density. J. Bone Miner. Res. 5, 1169–1175. 14. Aaron, J. E., Makins, N. B., and Sagreiy, K. (1987) The microanatomy of trabecular bone loss in normal aging men and women. Clin. Orthop. 215, 260–271. 15. Zamberlan, N., Radetti, G., Paganini, C., Gatti, D., Rossini, M., Braga, V., and Adami, S. (1996) Evaluation of cortical thickness and bone density by roentgen microdensitometry in growing males and females. Eur. J. Pediatr. 155, 377–382. 16. Butz, S., Wuster, C., Scheidt-Nave, C., Gotz, M., and Ziegler, R. (1994) Forearm BMD as measured by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) in a German reference population. Osteoporosis Int. 4, 179–184. 17. Zanchetta, J. R., Plotkin, H., and Alvarez Filgueira, M. L. (1995) Bone mass in children: normative values for the 2–20-year-old population. Bone 16(Suppl), 393–399S. 18. Garn, S. M., Nagy, J. M., and Sandusky, S. T. (1972) Differential sexual dimorphism in bone diameters of subjects of European and African ancestry. Am. J. Phys. Anthrop. 37, 127–130. 19. Rupich, R. C., Specker, B. L., Lieuw-A-Fa, M., and Ho, M. (1996) Gender and race differences in bone mass during infancy. Calcif. Tissue Int. 58, 395–397. 20. Preece, M. A. (1981)The development of skeletal sex differences at adolescence, in: Human Adaptation, vol. 2 (Russo, P. and Gass, G., eds.), Department of Biological Sciences Conference, Cumberland College of Health Sciences, Sydney, Australia, pp. 1–13. 21. Preece, M. A., Pan, H., and Ratcliffe, S. G. (1992) Auxological aspects of male and female puberty. Acta. Paediatr. 383, 11–13.

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22. Zhang, X. Z., Kalu, D. N., Erbas, B., Hopper, J. L., and Seeman, E. (1999) The effect of gonadectomy on bone Size, mass and volumetric density in growing rats may be gender-, site-, and growth hormone-dependent. J. Bone Miner. Res. 14, 802–809. 23. Kleerekoper, M., Nelson, D. A., Peterson, E. L., Flynn, M. J., Pawluszka, A. S., Jacobsen, G., and Wilson, P. (1994) Reference data for bone mass, calciotropic hormones, and biochemical markers of bone remodeling in older (55–75) postmenopausal white and black women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 1267–1276. 24. Davis, J. W., Novotny, R., Ross, P. D., and Wasnich, R. D. (1994) The peak bone mass of Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, and white women living in Hawaii. Calcif. Tissue Int. 55, 249–252. 25. Bell, N. H., Gordon, L., Stevens, J., and Shary, J. R. (1995) Demonstration that bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, trochanter, and femoral neck is higher in black than in white young men. Calcif. Tissue Int. 56, 11–13. 26. Wright, N. M., Papadea, N., Willi, S., Veldhuis, J. D., Pandey, J. P., Key, L. L., and Bell, N. H. (1996) Demonstration of a lack of racial difference in secretion of growth hormone despite a racial difference in bone mineral density in premenopausal women: a clinical research center study. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 81, 1023–1026. 27. Ettinger, B., Sidney, S., Cummings, S. R., Libanati, C., Bikle, D. D., Tekawa, I. S., Tolan, K., and Steiger, P. (1997) Racial differences in bone density between young adult black and white subjects persist after adjustment for anthropometric, lifestyle, and biochemical differences. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 82, 429–434. 28. Daniels, E. D., Pettifor, J. M., Schnitzler, C. M., Moodley, G. P., and Zachen, D. (1997) Differences in mineral homeostasis, volumetric bone mass and femoral neck axis length in black and white South African women. Osteoporosis Int. 7, 105–112. 29. Nelson, D. A., Jacobsen, G., Barondess, D. A., and Parfitt, A. M. (1995) Ethnic differences in regional bone density, hip axis length, and lifestyle variables among healthy black and white men. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 782–787. 30. Ross, P. D., He, Y.-F, Yates, A. J., Couland, C., Ravn, P., McClung, M., Thompson, D., Wasnich, R. D., for the EPIC Study Group. (1996) Body size accounts for most differences in bone density between Asian and Caucasian women. Calcif. Tissue Int. 59, 339–343. 31. Hamill, P. V. V., Johnston, F. E., and Lemeshow, S. (1973) Body weight, stature and sitting height: white and Negro youths 12–17 years. DHEW Publications No. (HRA) 74–1608. Vital and Health Statistics, Series 11, No. 126. (US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Rockville, MD) . 32. Malina, R. M. and Brown, K. H. (1987) Relative lower extremity length in Mexican American and in American black and white youth. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 72, 89–94. 33. Tanner, J. M., Hayashi, T., Preece, M. A., and Cameron, N. (1982) Increase in length of leg relative to trunk in Japanese children and adults from 1957 to 1977: comparison with British and with Japanese Americans. Ann. Human Biol. 9, 411–423. 34. Cameron, N., Tanner, J. M., and Whitehouse, R. H. (1982) A longitudinal analysis of the growth of limb segments in adolescence. Ann. Human Biol. 9, 211–220. 35. Garn, S. M., Sandusky, S. T., Nagy, J. M., and McCann, M. B. (1972) Advanced skeletal development in low-income negro children. J. Paediatr. 80, 965–969. 36. Bakwin, H. (1964) Secular increase in height: Is the end in sight? Lancet 2, 1195–1196. 37. Meredith, H. V. (1978) Secular change in sitting height and lower limb height of children, youths, and young adults of Afro-black, European, and Japanese ancestry. Growth 42, 37–41.


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38. Tanner, J. M., Hayashi, T., Preece, M. A., and Cameron, N. (1982) Increase in length of leg relative to trunk in Japanese children and adults from 1957 to 1977: comparison with British and with Japanese Americans. Ann. Human Biol. 9(5), 411–423. 39. Han, Z.-H., Palnitkar, S., Rao, D. S., Nelso, D., and Parfitt, A. M. (1996) Effect of ethnicity and age or menopause on the structure and geometry of iliac bone. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11, 1967–1975. 40. Schnitzler, C. M., Pettifor, J. M., Mesquita, J. M., Bird, M. D. T., Schnaid, E., and Smith, A. E. (1990) Histomorphometry of iliac creast bone in 346 normal black and white South African adults. Bone Miner. 10, 183–199. 41. Weinstein, R. S. and Bell, N. H. (1988) Diminished rates of bone formation in normal black adults. N. Engl. J. Med. 319, 1698–1701. 42. Parisien, M., Cosman, F., Morgan, D., Schnitzer, M., Liang, X., Nieves, J., Forese, L., Luckey, M., Meier, D., Shen, V., Lindsay, R., and Dempster, D. W. (1997) Histomorphometric assessment of bone mass, structure, and remodeling: a comparison between healthy black and white premenopausal women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 948–957. 43. Meunier and Boivin. (1997) Bone mineral density reflects bone mass but also the degree of mineralization of bone: therapeutic implications. Bone 21, 373–377. 44. Harris, S. S., Eccleshall, T. R., Gross, C., Dawson–Hughes, B., and Feldman, D. (1997) The vitamin D receptor start codon polymorphism (FokI) and bone mineral density in premenopausal American black and white women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 1043–1048. 45. Rosen, C. J., Dimai, H. P., Vereault, D., Donahue, L. R., Beamer, W. G., Farley, J., Linkhart, S., Linkhart, T., Mohan, S., and Baylink, D. J. (1997) Circulating and skeletal insulin–like growth factor–I (IGF–I) concentrations in two inbred strains of mice with different bone mineral densities. Bone 21, 217–223. 46. Flicker, L., Faulkner, K. G., Hopper, J. L., Green, R. M., Kaymakci, B., Nowson, C. A., Young, D., and Wark, J. D. (1996) Determinants of hip axis length in women aged 10–89 years: a twin study. Bone 18, 41–45. 47. Slemenda, C. W., Turner, C. H., Peacock, M., Christian, J. C., Sorbel, J., Hui, S. L., and Johnston, C. C. (1996) The genetics of proximal femur geometry, distribution of bone mass and bone mineral density. Osteoporosis Int. 6, 178–182. 48. Arden, N. K., Baker, J., Hogg, C., Baan, K., and Spector, T. D. (1996) The heritability of bone mineral density, ultrasound of the calcaneus and hip axis length: a study of postmenopausal twins. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11, 530–534. 49. Faulkner, K. G., Cummings, S. R., Black, D., Palermo, L., Gluer, C. C., and Genant, H. K. (1993) Simple measurement of femoral geometry predicts hip fracture in the study of osteoporotic fractures. J. Bone Miner. Res. 8, 1211–1217. 50. Boonen, S., Koutri, R., Dequeker, J., Aerssens, J., Lowet, G., Nijs, J., Verbeke, G., Lesaffre, E., and Geusens, P. (1995) Measurement of femoral geometry in type I and type II osteoporosis: differences in hip axis length consistent with heterogeneity in the pathogenesis of osteoporotic fractures. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1908–1912. 51. Cummings, S. R., Cauley, J. A., Palermo, L., Ross, P. D., Wasnich, R. D., Black, D., and Faulkner, K. G. (1994) Racial differences in hip axis lengths might explain racial differences in rates of hip fracture. Osteoporosis Int. 4, 226–229. 52. Mikhail, M. B., Vaswani, A. N., and Aloia, J. F. (1996) Racial differences in femoral dimensions and their relationship to hip fractures. Osteoporosis Int. 6, 22–24. 53. Nakamura, T., Turner, C. H., Yoshikawa, T., Slemenda, C. W., Peacock, M., Burr, D. B., Mizuno, Y., Orimo, H., Ouchi, Y., and Johnston, C. C., Jr. (1994) Do varia-

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55.

56.

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60. 61.

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64. 65. 66. 67. 68.

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Seeman tions in hip geometry explain differences in hip fracture risk between Japanese and white Americans? J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 1071–1076. Chin, K., Evans, M. C., Cornish, J., Cundy, T., and Reid, I. R. (1997) Differences in hip axis and femoral neck length in premenopausal women of Polynesian, Asian and European origin. Osteoporosis Int. 7, 344–347. Reid, I. R., Chin, K., Evans, M. C., and Jones, J. G. (1994) Relation between increase in length of hip axis in older women between 1950s and 1990s and increase in age specific rates of hip fracture. Br. Med. J. 309, 508–509. Ravn, P., Hetland, M. L., Overgaard, K., and Christiansen, C. (1994) Premenopausal and postmenopausal changes in bone mineral density of the proximal femur measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 1975–1980. Tsai, K. S., Cheng, W. C., Sanchez, T. V., Chen, C. K., Chieng, P. U., and Yang, R. S. (1997) Bone densitometry of proximal femur in Chinese subjects: gender differences in bone mass and bone areas. Bone 20, 365–369. Kuiper, J. W., van Kuijk, C., Grashuis, J. L., Ederveen, A. G. H., and Schotte, H. E. (1996) Accuracy and the influence of marrow fat on quantitative CT and dual-energy Xrayabsorptiometry measurements of the femoral neck in vitro. Osteoporosis Int. 6, 25–30. Looker, A. C., Wahner, H. W., Dunn, W. L., Calvo, M. S., Harris, T. B., Heyse, S. P., Johnston, C. C., Jr., and Lindsay, R. L. (1995) Proximal femur bone mineral levels of US adults. Osteoporosis Int. 5, 389–409. Ruff, C. B. and Hayes, W. C. (1988) Sex differences in age–related remodeling of the femur and tibia. J. Orthop. Res. 6, 886–896. Heaney, R. P., Barger-Lux, M. J., Davies, K. M., Ryan, R. A., Johnson, M. L., and Gong, G. (1997) Bone dimensional change with age: interactions of genetic, hormonal, and body size variables. Osteoporosis Int. 7, 426–431. Ensrud, K. E., Palermo, L., Black, D. M., Cauley, J., Jergas, M., Orwoll, E. S., Nevitt, M. C., Fox, K. M., and Cummings, S. R. (1995) Hip and calcaneal bone loss increase with advancing age: longitudinal results from the study of osteoporotic fractures. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1778–1787. Greenspan, S. L., Maitland, L. A., Myers, E. R., Krasnow, M. B., and Kido, T. H. (1994) Femoral bone loss progresses with age: a longitudinal study in women over age 65. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 1959–1965. Jilka, R. L., Weinstein, R. S., Takahashi, K., Parfitt, A. M., and Manolagas, S. C. (1996) Linkage of decreased bone mass with impaired osteoblastogenesis in a murine model of accelerated senescence. J. Clin. Invest. 97, 1732–1740. Bergman, R. J., Gazit, D., Kahn, A. J., Gruber, H., McDougall, S., and Hahn, T. J. (1996) Age-related changes in osteogenic stem cells in mice. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11, 568–577. Eisman, J. A. (1995) Vitamin D receptor gene alleles and osteoporosis: an affirmative view. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1289–1293. Peacock, M. (1995) Vitamin D receptor gene alleles and osteoporosis: a contrasting view. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1294–1297. Hopper, J. L., Green, R. M., Nowsen, C. A., Young, D., Sherwin, J., Kaymacki, B., Larkins, R. G., and Wark, J. D. (1998) Genetic, common environment and individual specific components of variance for age- and lean-mass adjusted bone mineral density in 10 to 26 year old females: a twin study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 147, 17–29. Flicker, L., Hopper, J. L., Rodgers, L., Kaymakci, B., Green, R. M., and Wark, J. D. (1995) Bone density determinants in elderly women: a twin study. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1607–1613.


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70. Seeman, E., Hopper, J. L., Young, N. R., Formica, C., Goss, P., and Tsalamandris, C. (1996) Do genetic factors contribute to associations between muscle strength, fatfree mass and bone density? A twin study. Am. J. Physiol. 270 (33), E320–E327. 71. Hopper, J. L. and Seeman, E. (1994) Bone density in twins discordant for tobacco use. N. Engl. J. Med. 330, 387–392.

Genetic Variation Influences Osteoporosis

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CHAPTER 2

How to Determine If, and by How Much, Genetic Variation Influences Osteoporosis John L. Hopper Genetic Variation: Within and Between Populations Discussion of nature vs nurture, or “genes vs environment,” is often obscured by a failure to understand that what is being considered is the variation in genetic make-up of individuals, and how it relates to differences between them in the characteristic or trait of interest. Therefore, a clear distinction needs to be made between genetic differences within a population, and genetic differences between populations (e.g., between different races, or between blacks and whites). For example, genetic factors may explain much of the difference in a characteristic between two racial groups, but within any such group, the variation may be entirely due to nongenetic factors. Consequently, discussion about the roles of genes and environment in explaining variation in a trait must depend on, first, whether one is considering within or between population comparisons. Historically, discussion has been in terms of the relative roles of genetic and environmental factors in explaining trait variation across a given population, as reflected by the often cited but little understood concept of heritability (see below). However, in order to understand and quantify properly the impact of genetic factors, the critical concept is not the proportion but the absolute size of genetic variation. This is because the amounts of variation caused by genetic and nongenetic factors are not universal constants; rather, they can vary both within and across populations according to age, sex, lifestyle, and a multitude of factors that cannot be controlled for, at least not in studies of humans. It is easier to understand that there can be different environmental factors, but genetic factors also can be expressed at different stages of life, or only when the individual is subject to particular environmental challenges. The effect of genes may also depend on exposures or lifestyle, i.e., there may be gene-environment interactions or covariations. Consequently, the size of the genetic variance may differ for different populations and for subgroups within a population. The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Therefore, if the ratio of genetic to total variance (heritability) differs between populations or subgroups, one cannot conclude that it is due to differences in the genetic component alone. There could be differences in the nongenetic component, or in both the genetic and the nongenetic components. That is, a trait does not have a unique “heritability”; its heritability may depend on the ethnicity and environmental milieu of the population, and also may differ according to the characteristics used to describe the average of the population under consideration (see the next two sections).

To Study the Causes of Variation, the Mean Must First Be Specified One cannot define variation, let alone study its causes, without specifying the mean, or “expected value,” of the trait in question. The mathematical definition of the variance of a trait is the sum, over all possible values the trait can take, of the squared deviation of each value from its mean, weighted by the probability of that value. That is, for a trait Y that can take at most a finite number of values, by definition: variance (Y) = S (yi – m)2p (yi)

(1)

where yi represents an observed value of Y, p(yi) represents its probability, summation is over all possible values of i, and m = Σyip(yi) is the mean. (For a continuously distributed trait, the summation is replaced by integration, and the probabilities by a probability density function.) The term (yi–m) is called the residual of Y about its mean, for individual i. The residuals, not the trait values, are the focus of attention in analyses that aim to determine the role of genetic and environmental factors in explaining the causes of variation in a trait. Suppose a trait varies, on average, according to factors such as age, sex, lifestyle, environmental exposures, body characteristics, and so forth. The variance of the residuals will then differ according to which of these factors are taken into account in specifying the trait mean, m. In practice, the mean of a trait can be modeled in terms of the effects of measured factors. These are called “fixed effects.” The remaining variation in residuals can then be modeled in terms of the effects of unmeasured factors (both genetic and environmental). These are called “random” effects. This statistical modeling process is a well-established application of linear regression and analysis of variance. The random effects modeling of unmeasured factors must do more than take into account genetic factors as causes of similarities between blood relatives. It must also allow for environmental factors shared by relatives. The strength of these factors could depend on whether the relatives are currently living together—and if so, for how long and how intensely—and if not, how long since they cohabited, and how often they are in contact with one another.


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If genetic factors cause variation in a trait, then genetically related individuals will be more similar. Just as the variance of trait residuals depends on which factors are used to model the trait mean, the covariance between two traits also depends on their trait means. For example, for discretely distributed traits Y1 and Y2, by definition: Covariance (Y1,Y2) = Σ Σ (y1 – m1) (y2 – m2)p(y1, y2)

(2)

(Y1 and Y2 could be two realizations of the same trait, such as when they represent the trait values of the first- and second-born twins of a pair.) Here y1 and yj represent the observed values of Y1 and Y2, respectively, p(yi,yj) represents the probability of the joint occurrence, m1 = Σ y1p(y1) is the mean of Y1 and m2 = Σ y2p(y1) is the mean of Y2, and the double summation is over all values of 1 and 2. The correlation is a measure of how similar traits are. It can take any value from –1 to 1, and is defined as Correlation (Y1,Y2) = covariance (Y1,Y2) / [variance(Y1) variance(Y2)]1/2

(3)

As discussed in a later section, the process of modeling unmeasured genes as random effects works by matching, for pairs of individuals, the similarity of their trait residuals against their genetic relatedness. The amount of variance in the residuals that can be explained by the covariance between relatives appearing to fit the pattern expected under a genetic model is called the genetic variance. If genetic factors are measured, and are modeled as fixed effects, the total variance will be reduced. This should result in a reduction in the genetic variance, provided the model of genetic and environmental causes of variation across the population, and of covariation within families, is a close approximation to reality.

An Example When considering height, what factors determine variations in height from individual to individual; i.e., what are the “causes of variation”? The age and sex of an individual are of primary importance. Other critical factors might be nutrition—especially during early childhood—developmental diseases, and variables related to socioeconomic status and lifestyle, and these effects could be confounded with one another. Some of these factors, such as age and sex, and possibly even the occurrence of any developmental diseases, can be measured. Some can be assessed by a surrogate measure; e.g., socioeconomic status is often inferred from measures of income, occupation, and/or residential location. Others, such as childhood nutrition, can be very difficult to determine, yet may be quite similar in genetically related individuals such as siblings, especially twins, and even more especially, within monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs. There are also genetic factors to consider. There may be (if not now, perhaps sometime in the near future) known genes for which different variants are predictors of height, in both the statistical and biological meaning of the word. There are

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likely to be, however, a large number of genetic loci involved in the expression of height. How are we to find out if such loci exist, given that they are as yet unidentified and therefore not measured? First, we have to take into account the nongenetic, or environmental, risk factors. Those that are measured can be incorporated as fixed effects when modeling the mean. The residual height of an individual, after adjusting for age, sex, and any other relevant measured factors of that individual, becomes the focus of attention. It is the correlation or covariation between related individuals in these residuals that forms the basis of analyses that aim to determine the role of genetic and environmental factors in explaining the causes of variation in height. Note that if height was not adjusted for age, the residual variance would be larger, and relatives of the same or similar age (such as twins and siblings) would appear to be more strongly correlated. This could have a substantial effect on the outcome of genetic modeling.

Defining Osteoporosis: Fractures vs Risk Factors Distinction needs to be made between a fracture (i.e., an event which is represented by a binary trait and can take only two possible values), and a risk factor for that event. The latter could include variables such as bone mineral density (BMD), bone geometry, propensity to fall, and so forth; see Chapter 1. These risk factors may also be binary variables (e.g., sex), but are more often scalar variables distributed along a continuum. Moreover, distinction must be made between fractures at different sites, and there is the possibility that different risk factors may be operating at different sites. There are numerous risk factors for fractures, and these may be interrelated (i.e., correlated within a population). Depending on what factors are taken into account in specifying the mean of these risk factors, some genetic factors may cause variation, and some of the genes involved in causing variation in one risk factor may also cause variation in other risk factors. The extent to which genes causing variation in a risk factor for fracture explain the incidence of fractures in the population will depend on: (1) The strength of association between the risk factor and fracture risk, and (2) The proportion of the population at different levels of genetic risk (allele frequencies). Therefore, although variation in a risk factor may be strongly genetically determined, it may have little consequence for the disease in question in terms of explaining cases, and why it runs in families. This latter issue will be quantified in a later section.

Making Inference about Possible Genetic Causes of Variation: Biometric Modeling of Twin and Family Data In trying to infer a role for genes in causing variation, distinction must be made between whether genes are measured or not measured. As discussed earlier,


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the effect of measured genetic variation can be assessed by modeling the mean, while the effect of unmeasured genes can be assessed by modeling variation about the mean. For the latter case, inference is made by developing models based on assumptions about the action of genes, and then testing the extent to which the data are compatible with the different models. This process has been referred to as biometric modeling. Note that biometric modeling cannot prove that genetic factors are causing variation, it can only be used to demonstrate that the data are consistent with one or more genetic causes of variation. It has very limited ability to discern how many genetic loci are involved (1) . Furthermore, the utility of this process depends critically on the extent to which the design, sample size, and methods of analysis allow the effects of nongenetic causes of variation to be discriminated from those of genetic causes. Historically, biometric modeling has been focused on fitting more and more elaborate genetic models, trying to interpret variations from simple genetic descriptions in terms of sophisticated modes of action of the genes (e.g., sexlimited expression, or nonadditive effects such as dominance and epistasis). This process is unconvincing, however, to the skeptic. It is important to realize that familial aggregation does not necessarily imply genetic causation. In theory, familial aggregation in a trait can always be fully explained by an environmental model, simply making the postulated effect of sharing the environment match the observed correlations. For example, monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs might be more similar for a trait than dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs simply because: 1. They live or lived more similar lifestyles, especially during their formative years; 2. They meet with each other more often; and/or 3. They are being or were treated more alike when children.

Similar arguments might explain why first-degree relatives are more similar for a trait than second-degree relatives, and so on. The extent to which this issue is important varies from trait to trait. For example, a large difference in sibling correlation for blood lead levels was observed between adolescent pairs living together (r = 0.5) and adult pairs living apart for 20 or more years (r = 0.1) (2). On the other hand, for body mass index (BMI = weight/[height]2) we observed a small decrease in the correlation, about 2,000 DZ pairs, from 0.6 for those who were cohabiting to 0.5 for those living apart (unpublished data). Moreover, that decrease occurred over an age range of less than 5 yr, suggesting that the effects of shared environment on BMI variation dissipate rapidly. For bone density, a similar rapid dissipation of the effects of shared adolescent environment appears to occur (3) . Unfortunately, little attention has been placed on trying to disprove or falsify genetic hypotheses. On the other hand, classic biometric models make simplistic

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assumptions about the roles of nongenetic factors. Accordingly, only major and specific types of environmental effects can be detected by the statistical approaches typically used, and even then large samples are needed for there to be reasonable statistical power to detect such effects. Designs that allow for contrasts between the effects of shared genes and those of shared environments, measures of environmental exposure, and large data sets ascertained by unbiased sampling are needed if the modeling process is to have credibility in teasing apart the roles and genes from those of the environment. In practice, this is not easy to do and tends to have been the exception, rather than the rule (4) .

Genes Measured Suppose a genetic marker, such as a polymorphism at a candidate gene hypothesized on biological grounds to be involved in the trait of interest, can be measured, and takes the values mi, for i =1,…,n, say. To test that hypothesis, a simple test would be to select individuals of genotype mj and compare their trait values against those of genotype mk, for all pairs of j and k not equal to each other. If these individuals are unrelated, careful consideration needs to be given to how the subjects were sampled, and to the possibility that there could be other factors (such as race and ethnicity) associated with genotype at this marker, and with the trait itself. These are called “potential confounders.” If all such potential confounders are known, and measured on all individuals, a statistical adjustment can be made for their effect(s) on the mean of the trait of interest using, e.g., linear regression techniques. In practice, one never knows all the confounders, and it is impossible to adjust for unmeasured or unknown confounders. In particular, care should be taken if the study sample contains different racial or ethnic groups. It is well known that these genetic association studies can give misleading conclusions due to such confounding, or population-stratification as it is referred to in the genetics literature. Another approach is to select related individuals who differ in genotype. Dizygotic twin pairs of the same sex are perhaps the most useful design. Twins within a same-sex pair are perfectly matched for age and sex, typically among the most important determinants of the mean of a human characteristic. They are also matched, at least to some extent, for a range of nongenetic factors related to their shared environment during gestation and upbringing. Whereas the latter matching may reduce within-pair trait differences, with a consequent loss of statistical power to detect effects associated with the genotyping, it will not bias results if matching is taken into account in the analysis. An appropriate method of statistical analysis would be to consider withinpair trait differences as a function of within-pair differences in genotype. If there are n different genotypes possible, there will be n(n–1)/2 combinations of differences between genotypes, and it is likely there may be some combinations with few or no pairs. Analyses that suggest differences between some combinations, but not others, are difficult to interpret.


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Because each genotype is a combination of two alleles, one from the mother and the other from the father, it is useful to consider the within-pair difference in the number of shared alleles: it can take the values 0, 1, or 2. The first group of pairs, who are concordant for genotype, is uninformative for association studies, and can be excluded from the analysis. The within-pair trait differences of the second and third groups can each be compared with zero, using e.g., a paired Student’s t-test, or with each other. Again, the analyses may be difficult to interpret if, e.g., pairs differing by one allele are different, but those differing by two are no different, or differ in the opposite direction. It might make biological sense to presume that the within-pair trait difference increases linearly as the difference in the number of a certain disease allele (or subgroup of alleles) increases. The trait difference can then be modeled as a linear function of the difference in number of disease alleles, in which case it is presumed that pairs differing in both alleles are twice as different (and in the same direction!) as those differing by only one allele. Again, linear regression techniques can be used for the modeling, making sure that the line of best fit is constrained to pass through the origin. Care must be taken, however, if there are only a few pairs differing by two disease alleles, as they will have a strong influence on the fitted line. Robust regression methods designed to be insensitive to influential points should also be used. Remember that for these association studies, the dependent variable is the actual within-pair trait difference, not the absolute or squared difference. There is an implied order within members of a pair, which could be based on an exposure or covariate of interest (5), or may be arbitrary. The independent variable is the ordered difference in the number of disease alleles, and can take the values –2, –1, 0, 1 or 2. The fitted lie should be constrained to pass through the origin; see Fig. 1. Note that pairs with the same number of disease alleles have no influence on this fitted line. They will, however, contribute information on the variation about the fitted line, and hence may improve statistical inference. If multiple regression techniques are used, statistical adjustment for withinpair differences in other measured factors likely to explain trait variation — either genetic or environmental — can be made while concurrently estimating the effect, if any, of the measured genetic markers on the mean; i.e., estimating a genetic association (6) . The formula is: ∆Y = Y1 – Y2 = (m1 – m2) + (x11 – x12) + … = ∆m + ∆x1 + ∆x2 + …

(4)

where the xij are the observed values for trait i in twin j, ∆xi = xi1 – xi2, and ∆x1 could be the difference in number of disease alleles at the genetic locus of interest. Another way the effect of a measured genetic marker on a trait can be assessed is in terms of possible genetic linkage. This can be done by testing if related individuals who share 2 alleles are more similar for a trait (in the sense defined below) than those who share 1 allele, and if the latter are more similar than those who share 0 alleles. This is called identity-by-state (6). The parents each

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Fig. 1. Best-fitting straight line through the origin, for data from ordered twin pairs plotting their within-pair difference in the trait vs their within-pair difference in number of disease alleles.

have two alleles, although they may not be distinct, and each offspring inherits a copy of one allele from the father and one from the mother. Therefore two offspring can share exactly the same two alleles, just one of the alleles, or neither. This is referred to as identity-by-descent. To conduct an identity-by -decent analysis, parental genotypes must be known or inferred probabilistically. Analysis of whether similarity in such measures of identity at a locus predicts similarity in a trait can be incorporated using the method of analysis described in the next section (7). For further discussion on aspects of genetic linkage see Chapter 20.

Genes Not Measured In 1918, the Royal Society in Edinburgh published a seminal paper in the history of genetics and statistics (8), written by the then 28-year-old Ronald Aylmer Fisher. (The paper had been rejected by the Royal Society in London 2 yr earlier.) Fisher derived the expected pattern of correlations one would observe in a trait if its variance (about its mean) was due to genetic variation at one or more loci, under the assumption that genetic status was transmitted from generation to generation under the rules of Mendelian inheritance. The paper itself is long and not easy, but the basic ideas have been summarized and interpreted many times (9–13). In brief, suppose the effect of alleles at each loci are additive and independent of one another, in that the trait mean for an individual who has two copies of an allele differs from that for an individual who has no copies of that allele by


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twice as much as for an individual who has one copy of the allele. Fisher showed that the correlation will be 0.5 between first-degree relatives, 0.25 between second-degree relatives, 0.125 between third-degree relatives, and so on. MZ twin pairs would be identical under this model which assumes additive genetic factors, A, only. There are, however, numerous prenatal factors that could cause MZ pairs to be less than identical for a given trait (1) . Allowing then for nongenetic factors, E, which are assumed to be independent between relatives in the same family—such as random environmental effects and random measurement error—the correlation between MZ twins within a pair will be reduced depending on the relative amount of variation explained by E. That is, if the variance of A is σa2 and that of E is σe2, the MZ correlation will be σa2/(σa2+σe2) = ρMZ. In this case, the correlation between first-, second-, and third-degree relatives will become 1/2 ρMZ, 1/2 ρMZ, and 1/8 ρMZ, and so on. The model can be extended to allow for nongenetic factors shared by, or common to, members of the same family (7,14). These cohabitation effects, C, that result from sharing or having shared a “common” environment, will result in a perturbation of the pattern of ratios above that should occur when genetic factors only are causing trait correlations. For example, if first-degree but not seconddegree relatives share a common environment effect with variance σc2, the ratio of first- to second-degree trait correlations will be greater than 2:1. Fisher allowed for nonadditive effects at a genetic locus (i.e., for the effect of having two alleles to differ from twice the effect of having one allele), and in doing so introduced the concept of dominance variance, σd2. If there are such nonadditive effects within one or more loci, the MZ pair and sibling correlations will be differentially increased relative to correlations between other pairs of relatives. Fisher also derived the expected correlations under other forms of genetic nonadditivity, such as interactions between the effects of alleles at different loci. There is strong confounding, however, between additive and nonadditive components of variance, and dominance components can mimic common environment effects (7). Whereas there is a theoretical basis on which genetic models can be based, cohabitation or common environment effects can take virtually any structure. Some examples of plausible models have been derived and fitted (2,7,13). In practice, however, it is very difficult to clearly distinguish the effects of shared genes from those of shared environment. Designs which have the potential to overcome this problem include those using twins reared apart, adoptees and their biological and adopted families, and migrant and nonmigrant families. The classic twin model purports to allow estimation of the effects of shared genes and shared environment, but does so only by making the very strong assumption that the effects on the trait in question of sharing environment are the same for MZ pairs as they are for DZ pairs. This assumption is difficult to test using twin data alone, unless detailed information is collected on the amount and extent of cohabitation that has or is occurring within the pairs (15). Also, the modeling process is biased toward concluding that genetic factors alone are

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causing twin correlations (4). Large sample sizes are needed to detect even modest proportions of variance attributable to σc2, the variance attributable to shared, or common environments during or as a result of cohabitation (16). Nevertheless, application to adolescent and young adult female twins has suggested plausible cohabitation effects on bone mineral density, at the spine and the hip, that abate rapidly as the twins begin to live apart (3). Fisher’s theory is best expressed in terms of variance components. For example, suppose a model allows for additive genetic effects, and for a zygosityindependent effect of common environment as in the classic twin model. For a given trait mean, the (residual) variance can be expressed as the sum of variance components σa2 + σc2 + σe2 = σ2. The covariance between a pair of relatives will be: σa2 + σc2 for MZ pairs; 1/2 σa2 + σc2 for DZ pairs; 1/4 σa2 for parent-offspring pairs, and for non-twin sibling pairs; 1/4 σa2 for second-degree pairs, etc. Note that the effects of measured genes can be incorporated either in modeling the mean, as fixed effects, or as random effects by including additional component(s) of variance. For example, the covariance between a pair of individuals could be modeled as σM2 if they share two alleles (IBD), or 1/2 σM2 if they share one allele (IBD) (7). That is, detection of “quantitative trait loci” by variance components modeling can be carried out within the usual framework for fitting genetic and environmental models. If the variance, σ2, is the same for all individuals, the difference between the MZ and DZ pair correlations, ρMZ and ρDZ respectively, will be 1/2 σa2/σ2. This has led historically to the simplistic formula: 2(ρMZ – ρDZ) = σa2/σ2. The latter term is referred to as the narrow-sense heritability, the proportion of variance attributed to additive genetic factors. This formula is problematic, if only because values greater than unity can occur (i.e., it could lead to the implausible conclusion that more than 100% of the variance is attributable to heritable factors). The statistical fitting of genetic and environmental models has changed considerably over the last few decades due principally to improvements in computational resources. The underpinning of the statistical approaches, however, is in likelihood theory derived by the young Fisher way back in 1912. They almost always rely on the assumption that families have been sampled at random. This is, of course, not usually true, but small sampling biases may not have a major effect on results. Sampling through related traits, however, can have a major impact. Methods for adjusting for some forms of nonrandom ascertainment exist. Either the raw data, or summary measures in terms of correlations between relative-pairs, are fitted to variance components or path analytic models. Statistical packages, such as FISHER (17) and MX (18), are available for analysis of continuous traits, and the latter handles categorical traits under some stringent assumptions; see the next section. Newer robust statistical methods have also been developed and compared (19). Standard errors, confidence intervals, correlations between estimates based on large-sample theory are available. Some


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tests of lack of fit which generally have little power, yet are often mistakenly used to infer a “good fit”, are also available with these packages. It must not be forgotten, however, that no matter how sophisticated the modeling, how good the fit or how elegant the method of statistical analysis, a fitted model is just that. Especially when trying to make inference about unmeasured genes and unmeasured environmental factors, there may be many quite dissimilar models that provide equally good—or bad—descriptions of the data, and it is not possible to discriminate between them. A significant genetic component of variance in the most parsimonious model does not prove that genes exist (20). For example, although under the classic twin model MZ pairs will be more correlated than DZ pairs, finding that MZ pairs are more correlated does not prove that the classic twin model is correct! In the parlance of mathematical logic, that “statement A implies statement B” is true does not mean that “statement B implies statement A” is also true. If genetic factors exist (statement A), MZ pairs will be more correlated than DZ pairs (statement B). The observation of statement B, however, does not definitively prove the veracity of statement A.

Evidence for Genetic Variation Influencing Fractures A fracture is an event that either happens or doesn’t. Inference about the possible roles of genetic and environmental factors in explaining variation in binary traits (i.e., traits that divide individuals into two groups, such as affected versus unaffected) can be made by a similar approach to that outlined previously. Association in a binary trait can be measured and modeled a number of ways, such as by a correlation coefficient, odds ratio, or tetrachoric correlation. The latter was first used in this context by Karl Pearson, around the start of the 20th century. It supposes that there is an underlying, normally distributed, but unmeasured “latent” trait. In medical applications, it is referred to as a “liability.” For a given 2 × 2 table of association in a pair of individuals for the binary trait, a unique bivariate normal distribution of the latent liability trait can be derived, with appropriate cut-off points — one horizontal and one vertical — so that the proportion of the distribution in each of the four regions equals the observed numbers in the 2 × 2 table. The tetrachoric correlation is then defined as the correlation in the bivariate normal distribution that is needed to achieve this fit. For whatever measure of association is used, its strength can be compared across different categories of relatives, and between cohabiting and noncohabiting pairs. The same issues discussed previously, to do with confounding and the ability of the design and sample size to discriminate between different models, apply. Typically, very large samples in the order of hundreds if not thousands of pairs are needed to have reasonable power. The tetrachoric correlation modeling has become popular in some disciplines, perhaps because it allows calculation of heritability. There are many problems,

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however, with this approach. It presumes there is an underlying, but unmeasurable liability, that both predicts the binary trait status and is correlated in relatives. Inference is made about the proportion of variance in liability statistically attributed to genetic or nongenetic factors, along the same arguments as used for continuous traits in 5(ii) above. However, the strength of the quantitative estimates rely implicitly on the assumption that the liability distribution in families is multivariate normal, and it is often impossible to test this assumption, at least not with any substantial statistical power. Furthermore, the heritability of liability is a difficult concept to understand intuitively . It is usually, and mistakenly, referred to as “heritability of the trait.” When the trait is a disease state (affected vs unaffected), the slip is often made of interpreting heritability as the proportion of disease due to genetic factors, when in fact it is the proportion of the variance of liability that is due to genetic factors (21). Unfortunately, judging by the frequency with which this false implication is made even in professional circles, this point is not well-appreciated. Comparison of twin disease concordance between MZ pairs and DZ pairs is often used to infer a genetic aetiology for the disease in question, but again this inference is predicated by the strong shared environment assumption of the classic twin method. There has been considerable confusion about the concepts of pairwise, casewise, and probandwise concordance. Pairwise concordance is the probability that a given twin is affected, given that at least one member of the pair is affected. The pairwise estimator is the number of pairs in which both twins are affected, divided by this number plus the number of discordant pairs. Casewise concordance is the probability that one twin is affected, given that the other is also. The casewise estimator is twice the number of pairs in which both are affected, divided by the twice the number of pairs in which both are affected plus the number of pairs in which twins are disease discordant. The decision of which concordance to work with depends on the question(s) being asked. For example, if as is the case in genetic counseling when one wants to predict a twin’s disease status from knowledge of the other pair’s status, the casewise concordance is indicated. On the other hand, if one is interested in predicting the pair disease status when all one knows is that at least one twin is affected, the pairwise concordance is indicated. If twin pairs are sampled nonrandomly, e.g., because at least one of the pairs is known to be affected, proper adjustment must be made (22). In this case, it is possible that a pair could be sampled because it is known that both members are affected; this is called a doubly-ascertained pair. It is also possible that a pair will be sampled because one particular member is known to be affected, but once the pair is sampled it is found out that the other twin is also affected; this is called a singly-ascertained pair. “Incomplete ascertainment” is said to occur if the probability of singly ascertained pairs is greater than zero. Otherwise, ascertainment is said to be “complete,” although this expression can be confusing, because it does not necessarily mean that all pairs are sampled! Although reference is often made in the twin literature to the “probandwise concordance rate,” “probandwise concordance” actually refers to an estimator,


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not a concordance, and it certainly is not a rate. The probandwise estimator is defined as the ratio of a numerator to a denominator. The numerator is twice the number of pairs in which both twins are affected and doubly ascertained, plus the number of singly-ascertained pairs both affected. The denominator is equal to the numerator plus the number of disease discordant pairs. The estimates and large sample standard errors for pairwise and casewise concordance have been derived, and the distinctions above between concordances and estimators clarified, using a likelihood theory approach (22–23). For large samples and under random or complete ascertainment, the casewise estimator is unbiased for the casewise concordance, and the pairwise estimator is unbiased for the pairwise concordance. Under incomplete ascertainment, the casewise estimator is biased for the casewise concordance, and the pairwise estimator is biased for the pairwise concordance. The probandwise estimator, however, is unbiased for the casewise concordance.

Interpreting Genetic Variation in a Risk Factor in Terms of How Much Familial Aggregation in the Disease Is Explained Finally the question arises: if genetic factors explain a proportion of variation in a risk factor, how much of the familial aggregation for the disease is explained by this source of genetic variation? To address this, suppose that X is a risk factor measured on a continuous scale. Suppose the conditional probability of being affected, p(x), given a value of the risk factor, x, can be represented by the linear logistic model p(x) = Pr(D = 1 | X = x) = exp{α + βx}/[1 + exp{α + βx}]

(5)

where D = 1 signifies the disease is present, and the parameters α and β describe the dependence of the probability of disease on the observed value of X. Assume also, without loss of generality, that X has a standard normal distribution with mean 0 and variance 1, and that for a pair of related individuals, (X1, X2) has a bivariate normal distribution with correlation parameter ρ. On a population-basis, the correlated risks within pairs of relatives translates into clustering of disease. A measure of disease association between relatives is the odds ratio, OR, the ratio of the odds of being affected when a relative is affected to that when the relative is unaffected. The value of OR depends on the correlation, ρ, and the strength of the risk factor on probability of disease. The latter is conveniently represented by the inter-quartile risk ratio, RR, which is the risk for individuals at the upper-quartile level of X divided by the risk for individuals at the lower-quartile level. Hopper and Carlin (see ref. 24) give tables for these relationships. Bone density at the hip is a risk factor for hip fractures that is itself correlated between first degree relatives. The correlation, ρ, is about 0.4, while the inter-

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quartile risk ratio, RR, is about 2.5. From Table 1 of Hopper and Carlin (24) this translates into an odds ratio, OR, of about 1.1. Given that the increased risk for a daughter consequent upon her mother having had hip fracture is roughly twofold, it is seen that whatever causes bone density at the hip to be correlated in firstdegree relatives explains about 10% of familial aggregation for hip fractures. Simple twin models suggest that all of the familial aggregation for hip bone density in adult women is attributable to genetic factors. Therefore, even if the heritability of hip bone density is 80%, the genes causing variation in hip bone density are not responsible for most of familial aggregation in hip fractures. Similar arguments apply to lumbar spine bone density and spinal fractures. Furthermore, genes involved in causing variation in other risk factors, such as hip axis length, may explain just as much familial aggregation in hip fractures (25). Nevertheless, identifying genes that influence variation in bone density could have important implications for prevention and treatment, for example by providing molecular targets for altering bone density. Finding these genes may provide insight into molecular pathways that are important in regulating osteoclast or osteoblast activity, for example, and this knowledge could be used to manipulate the pathway so as to increase osteoblast activity without increasing bone resorption.

Summary “Familial aggregation” is the tendency for a trait to be more similar, or positively correlated, in family members. This applies both to the occurrence of disease in an individual—often expressed as a binary trait representing the two states, being or not being affected—and to indices of morbidity and risk factors which are measured on continuums, often referred to as continuous traits. Depending on the strength of association between risk factors and disease, and on the strength of familial aggregation in the risk factors, this can result in familial aggregation in the disease itself. Therefore, familial aggregation in risk factors could in part explain why family history is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Knowing how genetic and environmental factors explain familial associations in risk factors will help understand the causes of osteoporosis. A theory under which correlations between relatives in a continuous trait can be explained in terms of Mendelian inheritance at one or more genetic loci was published by R. A. Fisher in 1918. Application of this theory has since provided much insight into the design and analysis of studies to resolve the relative contributions of, and interactions between, genetic and environmental factors, and has identified the following statistical and design issues: 1. Prior to genetic and environmental modeling the data should be carefully explored, and relationships between trait mean and covariates examined. To be able to understand properly the genetic determinants of a trait, it is important to first account for the effects of major nongenetic determinants.


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2. Descriptive measures of familial aggregation should be explored, and tendencies for the associations between individuals to vary according to the genetic or cohabitational relationship between individuals should be noted. Empirical evidence has shown that genetic and environmental factors can produce a variety of patterns among the trait correlations between pairs of individuals. 3. As mentioned previously, theory shows that if genetic factors determine variations in a continuous trait, certain patterns will be evident among the correlations between relatives. It is therefore possible, in a rigorous statistical manner, to test if observations from independent groups of related individuals are consistent with a proposed genetic model. Note, however, that this does not prove that genetic factors are a cause of variation, let alone the only cause of covariation within a family. 4. For there to be statistical power to discriminate between causes of familial aggregation, first the confounding between genetic and environmental factors needs to be addressed in the design of a study. Second, the sample sizes must be large enough for discrimination and precise estimation of different effects. Third, the families need to be sampled in an unbiased manner, or else a correct statistical adjustment for their ascertainment must be made. 5. Analytical methods should be able to incorporate measurements from covariates, which may include measured genetic markers, in addition to modeling unmeasured genetic and environmental sources of variation. 6. Fitting a model is not an end in itself. Biological and statistical assumptions underlying models should be addressed before and during the modeling process. Selection of a “best” model from among a range of alternatives, even if shown not to provide a bad fit to the data, does not prove that the components of that model are true causes of variation. 7. The genes involved in causing variation in bone density only partially explain the familial aggregation in fractures.

References 1. Martin, N., Boomsma, D., and Machin, G. (1997) A twin-pronged attack on complex traits. Nat. Genet. 17, 387–392. 2. Hopper, J. L. and Mathews, J. D. (1983) Extensions to multivariate normal models for pedigree analysis. II. Modeling the effect of shared environment in the analysis of blood lead levels. Am. J. Epidemiol. 117, 344–355. 3. Hopper, J. L., Green, R. M., Nowson, C. A., Young, D., Sherwin, A. J., Kaymakci, B., Larkins, R. G., and Wark, J. D. (1998) Genetic, common environment, and individual specific components of variance for bone mineral density in 10- to 26-year-old females, a twin study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 147, 17–29. 4. Hopper, J. L. (1999) On why “common environment effects” are so uncommon in the literature, in Advances in Twin Sub-Pair Analysis (Spector, T., Sneider, H., and MacGregor, A. J., eds.), Greenwich Medical Media, London, pp. 15–165. 5. Hopper, J. L. and Seeman, E. (1994) The bone density of twins discordant for tobacco use. N. Engl. J. Med. 330, 37–92.

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6. Lange, K. (1997) Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Genetic Analysis. Springer, New York. 7. Hopper, J. L. and Mathews, J. D. (1982) Extensions to multivariate normal models for pedigree analysis. Ann. Hum. Genet. 46, 373–383. 8. Fisher, R. A. (1918) Correlations between relatives on the supposition of Mendelian inheritance. Trans. Roy. Soc. (Edinburgh) 52, 399–433. 9. Bulmer, M. G. (1980) The Mathematical Theory of Quantitative Genetics. Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK. 10. Falconer, D. S. (1989) Introduction to Quantitative Genetics. Wiley, New York. 11. Ewens, W. J. (1979) Mathematical Population Genetics. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 5–9. 12. Neale, M. C. and Cardon, L. R. (1992) Methodology for Genetic Studies of Twins and Families. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 13. Hopper, J. L. (1993) Variance components for statistical genetics, applications in medical research to characteristics related to human diseases and health. Statist. Methods Med. Res. 2, 199–223. 14. Hopper, J. L. and Mathews, J. D. (1994) Amultivariate normal model for pedigreee and longitudinal data and the software FISHER. Aust. J. Stat. 36, 153–176. 15. Clifford, C. A., Hopper, J. L., Fulker, D. W., and Murray, R. M. (1984) A genetic and environmental analysis of a twin family study of alcohol use, anxiety and depression. Genet. Epidemiol. 1, 63–79. 16. Christian, J. C., Norton, J. A., Sorbel, J., and Williams, C. J. (1995) Comparison of analysis of of variance and maximum likelihood based path analysis of twin data, partitioning genetic and environmental sources of covariance. Genet. Epidemiol. 12, 27–35. 17. Lange, K., Boehnke, M., and Weeks, D. (1987) Programs for pedigree analysis. Department of Biomathematics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. 18. Neale, M. C. (1997) M: Statistical Modeling. 4th ed. Box 980126 MCV, Richmond, VA. 19. Huggins, R. M., Loesch, D. Z., and Hoang, N. H. (1998) A comparison of methods of fitting models to twin data. Aust. N. Z. J. Stat. 40, 129–140. 20. Hopper, J. L. (1996) Commentary. Genes for osteoarthritis, interpreting twin studies. Br. Med. J. 312, 943–944. 21. Hopper, J. L. (1998) Heritability, in Encyclopedia of Biostatistics, vol. 3, Wiley, London, pp. 1905–1906. 22. Hopper, J. L. (1998) Twin concordance, in Encyclopedia of Biostatistics, vol. 6, Wiley, London, pp. 4626–4629. 23. Witte, J., Carlin, J. B., and Hopper, J. L. (1999) A likelihood-based approach to estimating twin concordance for dichotomous traits. Genet. Epidemiol. 16, 290–304. 24. Hopper, J. L. and Carlin, J. C. (1994) Familial aggregation of a disease consequent upon correlation between relatives in a risk factor measured on a continuous scale. Am. J. Epidemiol. 136, 1138–47. 25. Flicker, L., Faulkner, K. G., Hopper, J. L., et al. (1996) Determinants of hip axis length in women aged 10–89 years, a twin study. Bone 18, 41–45.

Vitamin D Receptor Gene

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CHAPTER 3

Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Bone Mineral Homeostasis Serge Ferrari, René Rizzoli, and Jean-Philippe Bonjour Introduction Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a reduced bone mineral mass and a deterioration of bone tissue microarchitecture, with a consequent increased bone fragility and a higher risk of fracture (1). The latter also depends on factors unrelated to bone mineral mass itself. In the search for “osteoporosis genes,” it is important to keep in mind that bone mineral mass is a complex notion that may be variably appreciated by different techniques. Actually, various parts of the skeleton are characterized by different proportions of spongious and compact bone, and thereby by different turnover rates. Whole body bone mineral mass can be measured. For this purpose, a variety of techniques based on the attenuation by bony tissue of either a photon radiation (dual X-ray absorptiometry [DXA], single photon absorptiometry [SPA] or ultrasonic energy) have been used. X-ray attenuation-based methods provide information on bone mineral content (BMC, in grams of hydroxyapatite equivalent) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD, in grams of hydroxyapatite equivalent per unit of bone scanned area). The latter integrates the notion of bone mineral mass and an adjustment for outer bone dimensions as determined in a plan perpendicular to the radiation beam direction (2). Besides, volumetric bone mineral density (grams per cubic square of bone tissue) can be assessed by quantitative computerized tomography (QCT), or indirectly estimated from results obtained with the DXA technology. Consequently, although it is presently unknown whether the same set of genes influences both cortical and spongious bone, the association of a single gene locus, which can by essence determine only one bone mineral mass constituent, with any of the measures of “bone mass” defined previously, will be burdened by The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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a degree of imprecision proportional to the number and magnitude of genetic effects on the other constituents of bone mineral mass. Bone mineral mass is mainly determined by the amount of bone accumulated during skeletal growth, and by the loss occurring after menopause and with aging. The maximal mass of bone, the so-called peak bone mineral mass, is virtually achieved at most skeletal sites by the end of the second decade of life (3,4). It has long been recognized that peak bone mineral mass is under strong genetic determination, since both twins and parents-offspring comparisons have suggested that heredity accounted for as much as 60–80% of areal bone mineral density and bone mineral content variance in the population (5–7; see Chapters 1 and 2). Most recent studies however questioned the actual magnitude of direct genetic effects on peak bone mass, due to similarities in environmental covariates (8,9) and in lean body mass (10) among relatives. Besides, it has become evident that the genetic determination of bone mineral mass is detectable well before pubertal growth spurt, with however notable differences in heritability estimates among various bone sites and traits (7). Recent characterization of polymorphic loci in genes coding for molecules implicated in bone metabolism or structure has given hope that genetic susceptibility to osteoporosis might be readily unraveled. This chapter will primarly focus on molecular epidemiology studies about the association of aBMD with vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene alleles located in the vicinity of the 3'-end region (11) as well as in the 5'-start codon region (12). In keeping with some recent observations emphasized above, the influence of age and environmental interactions on the relationship between bone mineral mass and VDR gene polymorphisms will be also discussed.

Human DNA Polymorphisms Singlebase variations in DNA sequence occurring in at least 1% of the general population are defined as allelic polymorphisms. Short nucleotide sequence repeats which are scattered throughout the human genome have also been more recently found to be another rich source of polymorphisms (13). Singlebase polymorphisms can be situated either in DNA coding or noncoding regions (exons and introns, respectively), and are detectable as DNA fragments of different lengths after digestion by the appropriate restriction enzyme. Identification of such restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) initially relied on Southern blot hybridization, but PCR-based methods now allow rapid characterization on large scale populations. DNA polymorphisms have mostly been useful as proximity markers for tracking down mutated genes through affected families and extended pedigrees. Linkage analysis thus has allowed the mapping of mutations responsible for numerous inherited disorders such as cystic fibrosis, retinoblastoma, and adenomatous polyposis coli (13). More recently, technical improvements and probably also the impetus brought by the human genome project, let polymorphisms be considered as essential tools in


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identifying genetic predisposition to polygenic disorders as well (14), particularly to common conditions such as hypertension or osteoporosis. In this case, polymorphic markers may be associated either with the presence or absence of the condition in the population, or with values of a continuous variable, for instance blood pressure or aBMD (15). Noteworthy, the former kind of study (case-control) is more vulnerable to selection bias than studies performed in randomly selected populations. Recent attempts to link polymorphic markers to a number of polygenic disorders have brought results sometimes of questionable interest. This particularly concerns situations in which there is a considerable overlap in the distribution of genotypic values among alleles (16). However, this approach has also been sometimes remarkably informative with regard to disease pathophysiology and possibly treatment (17). Concerning common conditions such as hypertension or osteoporosis, which are defined as extreme deviations from the normal distribution of complex quantitative traits, a single polymorphic locus cannot be expected to explain more than a fraction of the trait variance (or disease susceptibility) across the population and should in essence not be regarded as a disease-causing mutation, whether or not they are located within gene coding regions. Accordingly, a number of limitations have to be recognized regarding molecular epidemiology studies. First, peculiar alleles may be markers for the condition of interest but not be causal to the condition. Otherwise specific molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms should be able to be demonstrated in direct relation to these polymorphisms. Second, results from a study cohort should be extrapolated to other populations with caution, since strength of the association between allelic polymorphisms and complex quantitative traits will vary as genetic background heterogeneity and environmental influences vary among different populations (18,19). Finally, population-based risks and individual predictions in clinical settings must be clearly distinguished: while mean genotypic values or relative risks of disease may significantly differ among allelic polymorphisms, these markers may not be immediately informative with regard to individual diagnosis or prognosis.

The Vitamin D Endocrine System Physiology of Vitamin D The importance of the vitamin D endocrine system for the development and maintenance of bone mineral mass is most apparent during states of either deficiency or resistance to vitamin D. Thus, vitamin D deficiency during growth causes the typical bone deformations depicted as rickets, whereas similar deficiency in adulthood, as it is commonly encountered in the elderly, causes osteomalacia. Although 1,25(OH)2 D3, the active hormonal metabolite of vitamin D, appears to have pleotropic actions, including on cell growth and differentiation, its role is primarily to maintain serum calcium and phosphate levels to allow adequate bone matrix mineralization (20). Furthermore, the vitamin D system,

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probably by its effects on calcium bioavailability, could indirectly be implicated in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Indeed, recent studies have demonstrated that in vitamin D replete elderly calcium supplementation significantly increased aBMD and decreased the incidence of osteoporotic fracture (21–23), and that calcium supplements enhanced aBMD gain in growing children (24,25). In other words, the positive influence of calcium appears to require the presence of a normal vitamin D status.

Molecular Endocrinology of Vitamin D The effects of 1,25(OH)2 D3 are mediated by its nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR), a phosphorylated zinc-finger molecule which is encoded on the long arm of chromosome 12. Upon binding of 1,25(OH)2 D3, VDR forms a heterodimeric complex with the retinoic acid receptor (RXR) capable to targeting specific responsive elements (VDRE) present upstream to a number of genes (see Table 1 and Chapter 6). Following interaction with other transcription factors, such as TFIIB, activity of RNA polymerase II is then upregulated ( see refs. 26 and 27 for review). Noteworthy with regard to the potential molecular mechanisms by which common VDR 3'-end allelic polymorphisms might affect bone metabolism is the recent suggestion that VDR’s homodimers (i.e., VDR × VDR) rather than VDR × RXR heterodimers might regulate osteocalcin gene expression as opposed to osteopontin gene expression for instance (28). These observations however have been disputed (see refs.26 and 27, for review).

VDR Gene Polymorphisms Characteristics of 3'- and 5'-End VDR Gene Polymorphisms Taking a candidate gene approach, Morrison et al. identified a number of common allelic polymorphisms in the 3'-end region of the VDR gene, among which three can be recognized after PCR amplification of the DNA region of interest upon endonuclease restriction by Bsm1, Taq1, and Apa1, respectively (11,29). Thus, genotypes at these sites are defined as BB, Bb, and bb (Bsm1); AA, Aa, or aa (Apa1) and TT, Tt, or tt (Taq1), with capital letters usually used to designate the absence of a cleavage site for a specific endonuclease. Since these polymorphisms are all situated in intron 8 and the proximal region of exon 9 (Fig. 1), they are in strong linkage disequilibrium. Thus, Bsm1 and Taq1 alleles B and t or, alternatively, b and T show less than 1% recombination frequency, whereas the B allele is always associated with A. The prevalence of the three most common VDR 3'-end alleles, namely baT (50%), BAt (40%) and bAT (10%) and their predicted genotypes BbAaTt (37%), bbaaTT (26%), BBAAtt (15%), bbAaTT (11%), BbAATt (9%), and bbAATT (1%) [these frequencies are averaged from three large cohorts (30–31)] appears to be similar among Western populations, but to notably differ among Asians, in whom the BAt allele is much less frequent (10%) whereas the baT allele is more abundant (65%) (32). Although most studies have


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Table 1 VDRE-Bearing Genes Involved in Bone and Calcium Metabolism a Transcriptional activation Bone-osteoblasts

Bone-osteoclasts Intestine Kidney Parathyroid gland Ubiquitous

Osteocalcin Osteopontin Alkaline phosphatase Integrin (αv and β3) Calbindin 24-hydroxylase 24-hydroxylase

Transcriptional inhibition Collagen I Bone sialo-protein

PTH PTH-related protein

a Other vitamin-D regulated genes exist both in relation to bone and calcium metabolism as well as in “nonclassical” target tissues, such as the immune system, but the presence of VDRE in these cases has not yet been established. (Adapted with permission from ref. 27).

Fig. 1. Structure of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene showing the nine exons and intervening introns, the coding sequence at the translation initiation site (exon 2) and the 3’-untranslated region (UTR). Restriction sites for endonucleases (Bsm1, Apa 1 and Taq 1) in the 3'-UTR and (Fok1) in the start codon region are indicated by an arrow. Single-base variants responsible for allelic polymorphisms at these sites (see text) are shown below, as well as corresponding alleles (baT vs BAt and F vs f). Capital letters in alleles nomenclature indicate absence of a restriction site. Dashed arrow indicates shifting of the translation initiation point (F allele). Short arrow shows an invariant Taq1 restriction site in the 3'-UTR (*).

used only one polymorphic marker (mostly Bsm1), it is not yet clear whether combination of Bsm1 and Apa1 polymorphisms or direct haplotyping across the entire VDR 3'-end polymorphic region (31) may be more informative.

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By using minigene reporter constructs, Morrison et al. suggested that alternate homozygotes for the alleles baT and BAt might differ with regard to VDR gene transcriptional efficiency and/or mRNA stability (11), but this has not been confirmed. The hypothesis that subtle differences in the amount of VDR molecules synthesized in osteoblasts might change the equilibrium between homo- and heterodimeric receptor complexes and hence the effects of 1,25(OH)2 D3 on bone metabolism is appealing (33). However, VDR mRNA amounts have not been demonstrated to differ among VDR 3'end alleles (34). To date therefore, the molecular mechanisms which might link VDR 3'-end polymorphisms to aBMD differences are not elucidated. Albeit VDR 5'-end polymorphisms at the translation initiation codon which can be identified by the restriction enzyme Fok1 (12) have not yet been as extensively investigated in relation to bone mineral mass as VDR 3'-end alleles, they have been known for longer (35) and also have been better characterized at the molecular level. Indeed, a unique T/C transition polymorphism in the first ATG codon (exon 2, Fig. 1) predicts delayed transcription initiation until the second ATG codon and a resulting three amino-acid shorter VDR molecule. Very recently, VDR’s molecular weight as well as the level of transcriptional activation of a VDRE-containing reporter construct have actually been shown to differ among 5'-start codon polymorphisms (36). These important observations await confirmation, whereas mechanisms by which VDR activity might differ between start codon alleles, such as putative differences in DNA-binding capacity or receptor heterodimerization (see above), have yet to be investigated. Frequency of Fok1 VDR genotypes has been reported to be quite similar in white and Mexican Americans, Caucasian-Europeans and Japanese (FF, 35%, Ff, 50% and ff, 15%) (37), but the f allele was found to be much less common in one study among black Americans (38). Importantly, VDR 5' and 3'-end polymorphic sites do not seem to be in linkage disequilibrium (37,39) and might therefore be independent and complementary markers for disease.

3'-end VDR Gene Polymorphisms and Biochemical Markers of Bone Metabolism Definite momentum for the search of a relationship between bone mineral mass and VDR alleles came from observations by Morrison et al, who found that mean osteocalcin levels were higher among BB (alternatively, AA) normal subjects (29), suggesting increased bone turnover. There was however a prominent overlap of individual osteocalcin values across VDR 3'-end polymorphisms, as well as an excess ratio of postmenopausal women over men among BB subjects as compared to the other genotypes. Nevertheless, subgroup analysis of postmenopausal women showed very distinct differences in osteocalcin levels among VDR genotypes, although the number of subjects in each group was low. In contrast, later studies based on large numbers of observations in homogeneous cohorts of either pre- or postmenopausal women, failed to detect any significant osteocalcin differences among VDR 3'-end alleles (40–42), nor in the level of several different markers of bone resorption (40,41).


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Thus, there is no biochemical evidence that VDR 3'-end genotypes have a direct and substantial influence on bone metabolism. Although most currently available bone markers may lack sensitivity to detect subtle bone turnover variations between VDR alleles, the absence of differences in osteocalcin levels, the regulation of which is under straight VDRE control, does not support the contention of differentiated molecular effects on bone cells among VDR 3'-end gene polymorphisms.

3'-End VDR Gene Polymorphisms in Linkage and Association Studies Osteoporosis studies using segregation analysis of VDR alleles through affected pedigrees have not been reported, probably because so-called primary osteoporosis is unlikely to be simultaneously diagnosed in elderly probands and their younger descendants, and mostly because of the potential for noncommon forms of osteoporosis, such as osteogenesis imperfecta, within these families. In contrast, linkage analysis for quantitative traits have been extensively performed in relation to VDR 3'-end polymorphisms, looking at within-pairs bone mineral mass differences among twins as well as at the population level (15). Morrison et al. observed a marked reduction of aBMD variance among dizygotic twins sharing identical VDR 3'-end alleles (11), which was suggestive of their major contribution to the genetic determination of aBMD, but the authors later acknowledged some technical and analytical errors (43). In fact, two other linkage studies in twins did not confirm a significant association of VDR 3'-end gene polymorphisms and aBMD heritability (44,45). However, despite the fact that twin models have been very useful to demonstrate overall genetic effects on bone mineral mass (see above), they may have limited power to identify single loci contribution to complex diseases (46). Association analysis by Morrison et al. also showed significantly lower aBMD at the lumbar spine and proximal femur associated with the B allele in adult twins of both sexes as well as in unrelated pre- and postmenopausal women, both of European descent (11). In agreement with these results, Bb Japanese women were later shown to have lower aBMD as compared to bb women (32,47). In contrast, large scale studies in several Western populations as well as a meta-analysis failed to detect a significant association between aBMD and VDR 3'-end alleles (Bsm1) before or after menopause (30,40,48,49). Furthermore, others found lower aBMD values in homozygous subjects with the common bb or the rare bbAA genotypes rather than in BB subjects (31,50). Noteworthy, no single VDR 3'-end allele has been shown to be more prevalent in osteoporotic patients (defined by aBMD less than 2.5 standard deviations below the mean peak aBMD or by the presence of a low-energy fracture) than in normals. Thus, discordant findings raised an important controversy upon the reliability of VDR 3'-end gene polymorphisms as susceptibility markers for osteoporosis (51,52). The conclusion is that VDR 3'-end alleles per se are unlikely to predict low bone mineral mass at the time of menopause and cannot therefore be considered useful screening or diagnostic tools for osteoporosis.

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On the other side, association between bone mineral mass and VDR 3'-end alleles has been so far somewhat more consistent in growing children (30,53) as well as in young people who had recently achieved peak bone mineral mass (54–56). Indeed, VDR 3'-end gene polymorphisms have appeared to explain 5–10% of the bone mineral mass variance in such cohorts. The reasons why bone mineral mass and VDR 3'-end allelic polymorphisms appeared to be better related in young as compared to older subjects cannot be simply explained by variable degrees of genetic background homogeneity between the cohorts. Indeed, it has been clearly demonstrated that bone mineral mass differences among VDR 3'-end genotypes which were present in prepubertal girls were no more detectable in their premenopausal mothers (30). Therefore, interactions with environmental factors have been suggested.

VDR 3'-End Gene Polymorphisms/Dietary Calcium Interactions Gene-environment interactions, particularly those involving nutrients intake, are well-known modulators of the apparent heritability of quantitative traits, as life span for instance (57). An interaction between VDR 3'-end allelic polymorphisms and dietary calcium was first suggested by two independent analyses of calcium-supplementation trials in vitamin D replete elderly patients (58,59). In these studies, mean rate of lumbar spine aBMD loss was higher in BB than bb or Bb subjects. Moreover, a significant positive correlation between calcium intake and aBMD changes was observed only in Bb subjects, suggesting that the range of dietary calcium intake affecting aBMD may differ among VDR 3'-end genotypes (58). In agreement with this hypothesis, it was later shown that BB postmenopausal women who had more prominent bone loss than females with other VDR genotypes, also had a better response in terms of aBMD changes to calcium supplements (59). Although there have been some discordant findings about a possible association between postmenopausal bone loss and VDR 3'-end alleles (41,48), which were probably related to differences in the time since menopause between the various study cohorts (59,60), a majority of published studies that carefully looked at dietary calcium and/or vitamin D intake and VDR 3'-end gene polymorphisms after the menopause reported significant interactions (61–63). Two recent investigations indicate that such interactions may also occur in younger subjects. This appears crucial in order to explain the lack of detectable aBMD differences between VDR 3'-end alleles in premenopausal women. Thus, among 470 premenopausal women from the Healthy Lifestyle Project, aBMD was significantly higher in Bb and BB whose dietary calcium intake was above 1036 mg/d (23% of the cohort) as compared to those who had less calcium, whereas bb aBMD was unaffected by the dietary calcium intake (64). On the other hand, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial in prepubertal girls showed that aBMD gain in response to calcium supplements (800 mg/d) was increased at several skeletal sites in Bb and BB subjects receiving calcium supplements. In contrast, calcium did apparently not affect aBMD gain in bb girls, who actually had a trend for higher aBMD accumulation on their usual calcium diet as compared to the other genotypes (30).


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In conclusion, a scheme illustrates the potential influence of dietary calcium-VDR 3'-end gene polymorphisms interactions on aBMD accumulation and its consequences on age-adjusted aBMD (Fig. 2). This model predicts that aBMD differences among VDR genotypes can be blunted in subjects whose calcium intake is either relatively low or relatively high for their pubertal stage, growth rate, or level of physical activity. Moreover, the model takes into account other potential gene-environmental as well as gene-gene interactions which may modulate aBMD-VDR 3'-end genotypes relationships independently of dietary calcium intake. The net result of this intricate play of genetic and environmental factors is that intrinsic aBMD differences among VDR 3'-end alleles may become undetectable with increasing age. Very importantly then, the absence of measurable aBMD differences among VDR 3'-end genotypes does not necessarily mean that this polymorphic locus is unrelated to aBMD levels. On the contrary, the interaction between VDR 3'-end genotypes and calcium bioavailability might appear more clearly when aBMD changes are considered, whereas an association between aBMD and VDR 3'-end genotypes would be much less detectable in cross-sectional studies.

VDR 3'-End Gene Polymorphisms and Calcium Metabolism An interaction between dietary calcium and VDR 3'-end alleles has initially been suggested to affect the level of intestinal calcium absorption. A significantly decreased fractional 45Ca absorption has been found in BB as compared to bb late postmenopausal women on a low calcium intake, but such differences were not detectable on a high calcium intake (65). Decreased intestinal calcium absorption has also been found in BB black American postmenopausal women (42), as well as in BBAA vs bbaa healthy premenopausal women (66). In contrast, no differences in intestinal calcium absorption, duodenal VDR concentrations or serum 1,25 (OH)2 D3 levels were observed in another study including both young adult and postmenopausal women (67), although dietary calcium intake might have been somewhat higher than in the former cohorts. Similar investigations have not yet been reported in children, but differences in intestinal calcium absorption among VDR 3'-end alleles depending on the level of dietary calcium intake would be compatible with the interaction model presented before. A small dynamic study in young healthy Caucasian males has attempted to further characterize calcium and phosphate metabolism in relation to VDR 3'-end alleles (68). At baseline, these males had a spontaneously elevated intake of calcium and phosphate (i.e., above 1000 mg/d). As compared to bb subjects, BB had significantly lower intestinal calcium absorption (as assessed by the ratio of daily urinary excretion to total intake), higher renal phosphate excretion, bone turnover (as assessed by osteocalcin measurements) as well as PTH levels. When dietary calcium and phosphate were restricted, 1,25 (OH)2 D3 increased more in BB as compared to bb subjects, without however proportional changes in intestinal calcium absorption or PTH levels.

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Fig. 2. Schematic illustration of the interaction between dietary calcium and VDR gene polymorphisms on bone mass acrual (A), and its consequences on the association between VDR genotypes and bone mass (B–D). (A) Bone mass accrual differs among VDR genotypes only when calcium intake is in the medium range. (B) On a low calcium intake, bone mass differences are not detectable among VDR genoypes, due to the longstanding low bone mass accrual in the three genotypes. (C) When calcium intake is in the medium range, bone mass differences among VDR genotypes are detectable before puberty, but may then be blunted by other constitutive and environmental factors. (D) On a high calcium intake, potential bone mass differences among VDR genotypes disappear before puberty, because maximal bone mass accrual is achieved in all genotypes.

Hence, these observations might be compatible with a decreased sensitivity to calcitriol in BB subjects. Interestingly, sparse observations seem to corroborate the possibility of a relatively lower sensitivity of the parathyroid glands to calcitriol in BB subjects as compared to the other genotypes, both in normal postmenopausal women (69) as well as in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (70).


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VDR 5'-End Gene Polymorphisms and Bone Mineral Mass Gross et al. reported lower lumbar spine, but not femoral neck, aBMD in ff as compared to FF postmenopausal Mexican-American women (12). The same group also found lower femoral neck, but not lumbar spine aBMD in white premenopausal American women (38). In the latter study, however, association was not detected in blacks. No differences were found in osteocalcin, PTH, or 1,25 (OH)2D3 levels among VDR 5'-end genotypes. A recent report from Japan also found decreased aBMD in ff subjects (36). Similarly, a trend for a lower aBMD (p = 0.06) has been found in 124 postmenopausal osteoporotic French women (G. Lucotte, personal communication). In contrast, one European study in healthy premenopausal women (37) and another in young adult women as well as prepubertal girls (39) did not confirm significant relationships between aBMD and VDR start codon polymorphisms. Interestingly however, the latter study suggested a possible interaction with calcium intake as well as gene-gene interaction involving VDR 3'-end polymorphic loci.

Conclusions It is well established that a familial history of osteoporotic fractures increases the risk of finding low aBMD among relatives. Molecular epidemiology research in this field, however, is still at an early stage. 3'- and 5'-end VDR allelic polymorphisms have been among the first candidate loci to be investigated, but appear to be unlikely genetic markers for the disease. Nevertheless, they might play a role in the development of bone mineral mass during childhood. Most importantly, it should be remembered that quantitative traits and related complex diseases are affected by a large number of loci as well as by environmental factors acting together. Indeed, other genes are likely to influence the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and bone mineral mass. For instance, two polymorphic genes among the hundreds of potential polymorphic loci scattered across the human genome (virtually one every 200–500 base pairs) (13) have been investigated in relation to bone mineral mass, namely estrogen-receptor and type 1 collagen alleles. They are presented elsewhere in this book. Although models for interactions involving multiple genes have not yet been proposed in molecular epidemiology analysis of osteoporosis, it is likely that the few polymorphic genes explored in these chapters as well as several other candidate genes currently under investigation will eventually merge to provide a comprehensive, although extremely complex, picture of bone mineral mass determination. At the present time, the mechanisms linking genotypes to the osteoporotic phenotype remain to be elucidated.

Acknowledgments We thank Mrs. M. Perez for her secretarial assistance. The papers by our group quoted in this chapter were supported by the Swiss National Science Research Foundation (grant no. 31–40758.94).

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48. Jørgensen, H. L., Schøller, J., Sand, J. C., Bjuring, M., Hassager, C., and Christiansen, C. (1996) Relation of common allelic variation at vitamin D receptor locus to bone mineral density and postmenopausal bone loss: cross–sectional and longitudinal population study. Br. Med. J. 313, 586–590. 49. Cooper, G. S. and Umbach, D. M. (1996) Are vitamin D receptor polymorphisms associated with bone mineral density? A meta-analysis. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11, 1841–1849. 50. Houston, L. A., Grant, S. F. A., Reid, D. M., and Ralston, S. H. (1996) Vitamin D receptor polymorphism, bone mineral density, and osteoporotic vertebral fracture: studies in a UK population. Bone 18, 249–252. 51. Peacock, M. (1995) Vitamin D receptor gene alleles and osteoporosis: a constrasting view. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1294–1297. 52. Eisman, J. A. (1995) Vitamin D receptor gene alleles and osteoporosis: an affirmative view. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 1289–1293. 53. Sainz, J., Van Tornout, J. M., Loro, M. L., Sayre, J., Roe, T. F., and Gilsanz, V. (1997) Vitamin D–receptor gene polymorphisms and bone density in prepubertal American girls of Mexican descent. N. Engl. J. Med. 337, 77–82. 54. Fleet, J. C., Harris, S. S., Wook, R. J., and Dawson–Hughes, B. (1995) The BsmI vitamin D receptor restriction fragment length polymorphism (BB) predicts low bone density in premenopausal black and white women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 985–990. 55. Riggs, B. L., Nguyen, T. V., Melton III, L. J., Morrison, N. A., O’Fallon, W. M., Kelly, P. J., et al. (1995) The contribution of vitamin D receptor gene alleles to the determination of bone mineral density in normal and osteoporotic women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 991–996. 56. Viitanan, A. M., Kärkkälnen, M., Laitinen, K., Lamberg-Allardt, C., Kainulainen, K., Räsänen, L., et al. (1996) Common polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor gene is associated with variation of peak bone mass in young Finns. Calcif. Tissue Int. 59, 231–234. 57. Finch, C. E. and Tanzi, R. E. (1997) Genetics of aging. Science. 278, 407–411. 58. Ferrari, S., Rizzoli, R., Chevalley, T., Slosman, D., Eisman, J. A., and Bonjour, J. P. (1995) Vitamin-D-receptor-gene polymorphisms and change in lumbar-spine bone mineral density. Lancet 345, 423–424. 59. Krall, E. A., Parry, P., Lichter, J. B., and Dawson-Hughes, B. (1995) Vitamin D receptor alleles and rates of bone loss: influences of years since menopause and calcium intake. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10, 978–984. 60. Ferrari, S., Rizzoli, R., Chevalley, T., Eisman, J. A., and Bonjour, J. P. (1995) Vitamin-D-receptor-gene polymorphisms and change in lumbar-spine bone mineral density—Reply. Lancet 345, 1239. 61. Matsuyama, T., Ishii, S., Tokita, A., Yabuta, K., Yamamori, S., Morrison, N. A., and Eisman, J. A. (1995) Vitamin D receptor genotypes and bone mineral density. Lancet 345, 1238–1239. 62. Kiel, D. P., Myers, R. H., Cupples, A., Kong, X. F., Zhu X. H., Ordovas, J., et al. (1997) The BsmI vitamin D receptor restriction fragment length polymorphism (bb) influences the effect of calcium intake on bone mineral density. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 1049–1057. 63. Graafmans, W. C., Lips, P., Ooms, M. E., van Leeuwen, J. P. T. M., Pols H. A. P., and Uitterlinden, A. G. (1997) The effect of vitamin D supplementation on the bone mineral density of the femoral neck is associated with vitamin D receptor genotype. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 1241–1245.

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64. Salamone, L. M., Glynn, N. W., Black, D. M., Ferrell, R. E., Palermo, L., Epstein, R. S., et al. (1996) Determinants of premenopausal bone mineral density: the interplay of genetic and lifestyle factors. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11, 1557–1565. 65. Dawson-Hughes, B., Harris, S. S., and Finneran, S. (1995) Calcium absorption on high and low calcium intakes in relation to vitamin D receptor genotype. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 80, 3657–3661. 66. Wishart, J. M., Horowitz, M., Need, A. G., Scopacasa, F., Morris, H. A., Clifton, P. M., and Nordin B. E. C. (1997) Relations between calcium intake, calcitriol, polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor gene, and calcium absorption in premenopausal women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 65, 798–802. 67. Kinyamu, H. K., Gallagher, J. C., Knezetic, J. A., DeLuca, H. F., Prahl, J. M., and Lanspa, S. J. (1997) Effect of vitamin D receptor genotypes on calcium absorption, duodenal vitamin D receptor concentration, and serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D levels in normal women. Calcif. Tissue Int. 60, 491–495. 68. Ferrari, S. L., Rizzoli, R., Eisman, J. A., and Bonjour, J. P. (1996) Relationship between vitamin D-receptor gene polymorphisms and calcium and phosphate metabolism in young healthy males. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11(Suppl. 1), S209. 69. McClure, L., Eccleshall, T. R., Gross, C., Villa, M. L., Lin, N., Ramaswamy, V., et al. (1997) Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms, bone mineral density, and bone metabolism in postmenopausal Mexican-American women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 234–240. 70. Carling, T., Kindmark, A., Hellman, P., Lundgren, E., Ljunghall, S., Rastad, J., et al. (1995) Vitamin D receptor genotypes in primary hyperparathyroidism. Nat. Med. 1, 1309–1311.

Type I Collagen Polymorphisms and Osteoporosis

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CHAPTER 4

Type I Collagen Polymorphisms and Osteoporosis Stuart H. Ralston Introduction Type I collagen is the most abundant of the vertebrate collagens and is the major protein of bone. The genes that encode collagen type I are candidates for the genetic regulation of bone mass not only because collagen is an important constituent of bone matrix, but also because mutations in the type I collagen genes are the cause of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a disease characterized by severe osteoporosis and multiple fractures. This chapter reviews the function of collagen type I, its structure, and the mechanisms by which transcription of the collagen type I genes are regulated. We then go on to discuss collagen type I mutations in osteogenesis imperfecta and try to highlight some of the parallels that exist between this disease and osteoporosis. Finally, recent association studies on the role polymorphisms of the collagen type I genes play as predictors of bone mass and osteoporotic fracture are reviewed.

Bone Formation and Composition of Bone Matrix Collagen type I constitutes 65% of the organic component of bone tissue. During bone formation, osteoblasts lay down organized lamellae of uncalcified bone matrix (osteoid) which comprises about 90% type I collagen and small amounts of other matrix proteins and growth factors. After a lag phase of about 10 d, the matrix becomes mineralized, as hydroxyapatite crystals are deposited in the spaces between collagen fibrils. Although mineralization confers upon bone the important properties of mechanical rigidity and resistance to compressive forces, the tensile strength of bone and its resistance to torsional forces are mainly derived from bone collagen. The importance of collagen structure as a determinant The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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of bone’s mechanical strength is reflected by the fact that under conditions of increased bone turnover such as Paget’s disease, where collagen is laid down in a disorganized and random fashion, the bone is mechanically weak and subject to pathological fracture even though it is denser than normal. This illustrates the important principle that collagen structure is equally as important as collagen content (or bone mineral content) in determining the mechanical strength of bone and hence the risk of fracture.

Collagen Structure and Assembly The structure and assembly type I collagen is summarized diagramatically in Fig. 1. Type I procollagen is composed of three separate peptide chains encoded by two different genes (see Prockop and Kivirikko for review [1]). Each mature collagen molecule comprises two alpha (I) I chains and one alpha (I) 2 chain, which are encoded by the COLIA1 and COLIA2 genes which lie on chromosomes 17q21-22 and 7q22, respectively. The COLIA1 gene spans 18Kb and contains 51 exons, whereas the COLIA2 gene spans 35Kb and contains 52 exons. During transcription, each gene produces a monocistronic primary RNA transcript, which is then processed to yield multiple mRNA transcripts of between ~4.4– 6.0 Kb, due to differing patterns of polyadenylation (2). In common with the other interstitial collagens, the collagen type 1 genes have three structurally distinct domains: an N-propeptide domain, a central triple helix domain, and a C-propeptide domain. The triple helix domain is highly conserved between species and has the generic sequence Gly-X-Y where Gly is glycine, and X and Y are other amino acids. This region of the molecule contains a high percentage of proline residues in the X and Y positions. Following translation, the individual collagen chains undergo extensive modification within the Golgi apparatus; the proline and lysine residues are hydroxylated and many of the hydroxylysine residues undergo further glycosylation. The three chains form a triple helix before secretion onto the extracellular space, where the N-propeptide and C-propeptide domains are cleaved off. The resulting truncated molecule (comprising mainly of the triple helix domain and short N-telopeptide and C-telopeptide domains) then further self assembles into compact collagen fibrils. As collagen matures, the fibrils undergo further modification during which individual triple helices are cross linked to one another by specialized covalent bonds (pyridinium cross-links) that enhance the stability and tensile strength of mature collagen.

Transcriptional Regulation of the Collagen Genes Expression of the COLIA1 and COLIA2 genes is closely coordinated such that the ratio of mRNA for COLIA1 to COLIA2 approaches 2:1, mirroring exactly the ratio of alpha (I) 1 and alpha (I) 2 chains in the collagen protein. It is currently


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Fig. 1. Structure and assembly of type I collagen. Collagen type I is a triple helical protein composed of three peptide chains derived from two distinct genes. The collagen molecule undergoes extensive posttranslational modification before being secreted into bone matrix, where in undergoes further proteolytic modification with cleavage of the N- and C- terminal propeptides. Subsequently, the triple helical domain of the collagen molecules self assemble into collagen fibrils and these are crosslinked by pyridinium bonds to produce mature collagen.

unclear how the transcription of the collagen genes is coordinated in this way (3). Although both collagen genes contain classical TATA and CCAAT sequences upstream of the transcription start site, there is limited sequence homology between the promoters apart from this. Indeed, the only factor so far identified which could bind to sequences common to both promoters is the CCAAT box binding factor. Deletion studies have shown that between –300bp and +100bp of the human COLIA1 promoter is required to drive reporter transcription in Xenopus

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oocytes, and fibroblasts (4). A comparable amount of sequence of the murine promoter (–220bp to +16bp) is sufficient to drive transcription in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts (5) and this region has been shown to contain recognition elements for several DNA binding proteins with positive and negative effects on transcription (5). Similar experiments with the COLIA2 promoter have shown that sequences between –376 to +58 are enough to drive transcription (4), with a negative regulatory element between bases –376 to –772. Elements contained within the first intron of the COLIA1 gene also affects transcription. Studies by Bornstein and colleagues have defined a 274bp element in the first intron of COLIA1, containing two Sp1 motifs and one viral core enhancer motif which exerts an inhibitory effect on transcription in reporter assays, but only in the presence of upstream promoter sequences between –625 and –293 (6). However, there is evidence that the first intron of both human and mouse COLIA1 genes contain positive regulatory elements (7,8) such that the net effect of the intron in reporter assay constructs is to enhance transcription, as compared with constructs where the intron is absent. Taken together, these data indicate that the first intron of COLIA1 contains an array of elements that can exert bidirectional effects on transcription (3). It is probable that these effects are mediated by protein–protein interactions between different DNA binding proteins bound to the promoter and first intron. Similar studies on regulation of COLIA2 transcription have shown evidence of enhancer activity in the first intron of the murine COLIA2 gene, but no such activity in the human COLIA2 gene. These differences are probably due to sequence diversity between the first intron of the human and murine COLIA1 genes.

Modulators of Collagen Gene Expression Several cytokines, growth factors and hormones have been shown to modulate type I collagen synthesis in vitro and the effects of those relevant to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis are reviewed here. Transforming growth factor (TGF) beta is potent stimulator of type I collagen production in many cell types and is likely to be an important local regulator of collagen synthesis in vivo (3). Since TGF beta is thought to be released from bone matrix during the process of bone remodeling, this could have relevance to mechanisms of coupling between bone resorption and bone formation. Pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha have complex effects on collagen production depending on the cell type studied and concentrations used. Both cytokines seem to stimulate collagen production by fibroblasts, whereas inhibitory effects on collagen production have been found in bone explants (3,9), which would be in keeping with the depression of bone formation that accompanies inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Glucocorticoids have inhibitory effects on type I collagen production, due to decreased stability of both procollagen transcripts and down-regulation of gene expression at a transcriptional level. It is probable that these effects on type I collagen are partly responsible for the inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on bone formation in vivo (10).


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Collagen Mutations, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and Osteoporosis Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is the collective name given to a rare and heterogeneous group of inherited conditions which are characterized by severe osteoporosis and multiple fragility fractures. Various subtypes of OI have been described depending on clinical features, patterns of inheritance, and the underlying molecular lesions (reviewed in Chapter 5 and by Rowe [11]), but most arise in association with mutations in the COLIA1 or COLIA2 genes. In severe cases, these mutations result in disruption of the collagen protein chain, due to an amino acid substitution, deletion, or insertion. Most milder cases of OI however are due to under expression of the mRNA for one Collagen type I allele (so-called “null allele”), resulting in under production of one of the collagen protein chains. Some instances of “null alleles” have been shown to be due to splice site mutations which result in nuclear retention of unspliced collagen RNA, with failure of the spliced RNA to appear in the cytoplasm, and under production of the collagen protein (12). In other cases however, nonsense or frameshift mutations which predict premature termination of the protein have also been found to reduce steadystate levels of mRNA resulting in under expression of the mutant allele (13). The classical picture of OI consists of osteoporosis, multiple fractures during childhood, blue sclerae, deafness, and opalescent teeth. The frequency of fractures and presence of accompanying features are extremely variable, such that there is the potential for considerable clinical overlap between patients with mild OI and those with severe osteoporosis. Proof of this was demonstrated by Spotila et al. (14), who investigated a woman who was initially diagnosed as having postmenopausal osteoporosis, but who turned out to have mild osteogenesis imperfecta due to a glycine-serine mutation at codon 661 of the alpha2 -(1) collagen chain (14). Prompted by the possibility that other individuals with severe “osteoporosis” might harbor similar mutations in the Collagen type I genes, Spotila and colleagues performed extensive sequencing of both collagen type I genes in a multicenter study of 26 patients with osteoporosis (15). These patients were selected on the basis of low bone mass, a family history of osteoporosis, and failure to meet the clinical criteria for OI. The studies revealed the presence of proline-alanine mutations at codon 27 in the COLIA1 gene in two cases (7.6%) and an alanine to proline mutations at codon 459 of the COLIA2 gene in 9 cases (34%). Although both substitutions caused amino acid changes, their role in the pathogenesis of the osteoporosis remains uncertain. The father of the patient with the codon 27 substitution shared the same substitution, but had no obvious bone disease, whereas his brother had severe osteoporosis but did not harbor the substitution. The codon 459 mutation, while common in the osteoporotic population studied was equally common (21%) in a series of 12 control subjects. Other neutral sequence variants of COLIA2 which were observed at equal frequencies in the osteoporotic and control subjects included a T/C change in codon 3; an A/C

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change in codon 392 and a T/C change in codon 955 (15). Spotila et al. were also able to address the possibility that the osteoporosis may have arisen as the result of null alleles using exonic restriction fragment length polymorphism's (RFLPs) to assess allele-specific transcription. Each individual in the study was found to be heterozygous for at least one exonic polymorphism in the COLIA2 gene, and it was found that both COLIA2 alleles were expressed in all cases. Allele-specific transcription of the COLIA1 gene could only be assessed in 12/26 individuals who were heterozygous for a C/T substitution in the 3' untranslated region. In all cases expression of both COLIA1 alleles was found. These studies do not support the view that protein coding mutations or null alleles are a common cause of osteoporosis.

Regulatory Polymorphisms of the Collagen Genes and Osteoporosis In view of the negative results reported by Spotila, Grant, and colleagues investigated the hypothesis that polymorphisms or mutations affecting the regulatory regions of the collagen type I genes may be responsible for osteoporosis (16). Initial investigations focused in the COLIA1 gene, where PCR-SSCP was used to screen for mutations in the proximal promoter (–751 to +38) and first intron (+174 to +1805), two regions of the gene which are thought to be important in regulating transcription (3). These studies showed evidence of 3 polymorphisms, all of which were situated in the first intron. The first was a T insertion at base +498, the second, a C/G substitution at base +811, and the third a G/T substitution at base +1480. The frequency of each polymorphism was studied in a series of 50 healthy women. For the T +498 insertion, two individuals were heterozygous and one homozygous, giving an allele frequency of 4%; for the C/G +811 substitution, 3 C/G heterozygotes were detected, giving an allele frequency of 2% and for the G/T +1480 substitution 17 G/T heterozygotes, and 3 T/T homozygotes were detected giving an allele frequency of 20%. Grant and colleagues further investigated the G/T polymorphism in more detail, not only because it was relatively common, but also because it lay at the first base of a recognition site for the transcription factor Sp1—a DNA binding protein which is known to be important as a regulation of basal gene transcription. Gel shift studies confirmed that the polymorphic site was recognized by DNA binding proteins in gel shift assays and specificity of binding was confirmed by abrogation of binding by an Sp1 specific antibody (16). Although the consequences of the polymorphisms for regulation of collagen type I transcription and collagen protein production remain unclear as yet, preliminary experiments have shown that the G/T substitution significantly affects the affinity of the recognition site to bind Sp1 in gel shift assays (Grant and Ralston, unpublished data), raising the possibility that it may have functional relevance.


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COLIA1 Sp1 Polymorphism and Osteoporosis The relationship between the COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism and osteoporosis fracture has now been investigated in several populations, but so far many of these studies have been reported only in abstract form. The first published study was that of Grant and colleagues who initially described the Sp1 polymorphism. Grant investigated the relationhip between the Sp1 polymorphism, bone mass, and osteoporotic fracture in a two-center, UK-based study of predominantly postmenopausal women (16). One study population was drawn from the North East of Scotland, and comprised 205 women, approx 53% of whom had been referred for clinical evaluation and 47% of whom were drawn at random from the local community by postal register. The London population comprised a consecutive series of 94 healthy perimenopausal volunteers who had attended for bone densitometry. A significant effect of COLIA1 genotype on spinal bone mass was observed in both study populations. Individuals with the G/G genotype (termed “SS”) were found to have significantly higher bone mineral density (BMD) values than the G/T genotype (termed “Ss”) who in turn had higher values than the rare T/T genotype (termed “ss”). A similar trend was observed for BMD values at the femoral neck, but this did not reach statistical significance. An interesting feature of the association between the COLIA1 polymorphism and bone mass was that the effect seemed to increase with age, distinguishing this polymorphism from polymorphisms of other candidate genes such such as VDR and IL-6 which seem to predominantly affect peak bone mass. Thus, when BMD was plotted against age or menopausal age, in relation to COLIA1 genotype, those with the Ss and ss genotypes had a similar intercept on the Y-axis to those with the SS genotypes (reflecting similar peak bone mass), but had a significantly different slope of BMD upon age, suggesting that the COLIA1 polymorphism may act as a marker for increased age-related bone loss. (Fig. 2). In the same study, Grant compared distribution of genotypes in 55 vertebral fracture cases when compared with 55 matched controls and found over representation of the Ss and ss genotypes in patients with vertebral fractures (54%) as compared with controls (27%) equivalent to a relative risk of 2.97 in individuals carrying the “s” allele. This observation again is unique among polymorphisms of candidate genes which have been thought to regulate bone mass and suggests that the COLIA1 polymorphism may be of value in predicting the clinically important end-point of osteoporotic fracture risk.

Population-Based Studies of COLIA1 Sp1 Polymorphism The largest population-based study of COLIA1 Sp1 genotype in relation to bone mass comes from the Netherlands, where Uitterlinden et al. studied 1778 postmenopausal women aged 55–80 yr from the Rotterdam study—a populationbased cohort study of diseases in the elderly. Uitterlinden confirmed the association between COLIA1 genotype and spinal bone mass reported by Grant and found a similar association with bone mass at the hip, with an overall effect that accounted for a difference of approx 0.2–0.3 z score units between the extreme

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Fig. 2. Relationship between COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism and bone loss. When BMD is plotted against menopausal age, individuals with the Ss/ss genotypes have evidence of an increased rate of bone loss when compared with the SS genotype as reflected by the steeper slope of the regression line in the Ss/ss genotype group. The regression line in the “Ss/ss” group crosses the notional “fracture threshold” (horizontal interrupted line corresponding to T score of –3.0) 15 yr postmenopause as compared with 25 yr postmenopause for the SS group (p < 0.05). Note that the intercept on the Y-axis is similar, suggesting that COLIA1 polymorphism may act as a marker for increased age-related bone loss rather than peak bone mass. [/Data from the Aberdeen study population studied by Grant et al. (16)/].

genotypes (17). Interestingly, the Rotterdam study also showed a significant association between COL1A1 genotype and body weight, such that weight was lower in individuals who carried the low bone mass associated “s” alleles—a trend that had also been observed in the original study. In agreement with the data of Grant, Uitterlinden found the “Ss” and “ss” genotypes to be significantly overrepresented in patients with fractures. Studies in 111 patients who suffered incident nonvertebral fractures during a 5 yr follow-up showed that 42% had the “Ss” or “ss” genotypes as compared with 32% of 1667 individuals without fractures (p < 0.01), equivalent to an odds ratio for fracture of 1.54 per copy “s” allele. An interesting feature of this association was that the increased risk of fracture persisted even after correction for confounding factors such weight, age, and BMD, suggesting that COLIA1 genotype may influence fracture risk by mechanisms that are independent of bone mass. Garnero et al. studied the relationship between COLIA1 Sp1 genotype, bone mass, and biochemical indices of bone turnover in the OFELY study—a populationbased cohort study of determinants of bone mass in healthy French women (18).


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Analysis of 220 premenopausal women showed a positive association between spinal bone mass and COLIA1 genotype and an association between genotype and total body BMD, total bone mineral content, and height. While femoral neck BMD values showed the same trend as spine BMD values, the difference between genotypes was not significant and there was no significant difference between genotypes with regard to wrist BMD. In addition to the differences in bone mass, Garnero also found significantly reduced circulating PICP values (an index of collagen formation) in the “ss” genotype group when compared with the other genotype groups. When a codominant effect was assumed, COLIA1 genotype was an independent predictor of spine BMD, total body BMD, and serum PICP in multiple regression analysis. McCloskey and colleagues investigated the relationship between the Sp1 plymorphism and bone mass in a series of 317 elderly women of mean age 80 yr from Sheffield (UK) (19). Although this was a random population sample, recruitment to the study was low, which probably led to over-representation of the “healthy elderly” from the study sample. Possibly reflecting this fact, the genotype distribution differed significantly in the Sheffield population from previous studies of Caucasian individuals, with relative under-representation of the “s” alleles (Ss 20%; ss 2%). Analysis of BMD in relation to genotype in this population showed highest BMD values in the SS group, intermediate values in the Ss group, and lowest in the ss group, with an overall difference of approx 0.4 z-score units between genotypes, but these differences were not significant.

Case-Control Studies of COLIA1 Sp1 Polymorphism Keen and colleagues related COLIA1 genotype to bone mass and prevalent vertebral fractures in a series of 185 individuals drawn from a population based cohort study in Northern London, fifty-five of whom had suffered fractures in the preceeding 10 yr (20). Keen found that individuals with the Ss and ss genotypes had significantly lower BMD at the spine than those with the SS genotype and a similar, but nonsignificant trend was noted for hip bone density. In keeping with the differences in BMD, the “Ss” and “ss” genotypes were significantly over-represented in patients with fractures (49%) as compared with controls (33%) equivalent to an odds ratio of 1.95 for fracture in those with the “s” allele. Langdahl and colleagues looked at the relationship between COL1A1 genotype and osteoporotic fracture in a case-control study of Danish men and women (21). The study group comprised 249 individuals, with 105 osteoporotic vertebral fracture patients and 144 matched normal controls. As in the studies cited previously, Langdahl found the “Ss” and “ss” genotypes to be associated with vertebral fracture in both men and women such that 47 % of fracture cases carried the “s” allele, compared with 34% of the controls (p = 0.0003), equivalent to an odds ratio for fracture of 1.71 in those who carried the “s” allele. Subgroup analysis showed that the effect was similar in men and women. A further case-control study of patients with osteoporotic fracture by de Vernejoul (22) looked at allele distribution in 97 postmenopausal French women with crush fractures and 137 controls who were

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on average 5 yr younger than the fracture cases (65 yr vs 69 yr). This study showed an excess of ss genotypes in the fracture patients (5%) compared with the controls (1%), but the distribution of the Ss genotype was similar in fracture cases, controls, and overall, the difference between the groups failed to reach significance (p = 0.07). A further study by McLellan et al. looked at the relationship between the COL1A1 polymorphism, bone mass, and osteoporotic fracture in a series of 606 women from Glasgow (UK) (23). The study population comprised a mix of clinic referrals (~60%) and women who had answered newspaper advertisements calling for volunteers to undergo bone densitometry (~40%). Approx 18% of the population had been treated with HRT and another 10% with the bisphosphonate disodium etidronate. BMD values at the spine and femoral neck were approx 0.2 z-score units lower in the Ss genotype as compared with the SS genotype, but these differences were not significant. BMD values were highly variable in the small number of “ss” individuals studied (n = 15), who were on average, 6 yr older than the other genotype groups, possibly reflecting the nonrandom method of patient selection. A nested case-control study was performed looking at allele distribution in 81 patients with osteoporotic fractures as compared with a series of 114 controls, who were on average, about 14 yr younger than the fracture cases. Although the controls and cases were not aged matched, there was significant over-representation of the Ss and ss genotypes in the fracture cases (43%) as compared with the controls (28%) (p < 0.04).

Twin Studies of COLIA1 Sp1 Polymorphism The relationship between COLIA1 genotype and bone mass has been investigated in two twin studies. Grant et al. (24) looked for evidence of linkage between COLIA1 Sp1 alleles and bone mass in 113 female Australian twins of mean age 53 yr (55 nonidentical (DZ)/58 identical (MZ). In this study, intra-pair differences in femoral neck BMD were significantly greater among DZ twin pairs who shared one COLIA1 allele identical by descent than those who shared two alleles, providing evidence of linkage between COLIA1 alleles and hip bone mass (p = 0.01). A similar trend was seen at the spine but this was not significant (p = 0.20). A similar study of 79 premenopausal female twins of average age 35 years (38 MZ/41 DZ) was conducted by Hustmyer et al. (25), but here no evidence of linkage between COLIA1 genotype and bone mass was found. Although the studies used similar methods and were of similar size, they differed significantly in terms of the twins age. This is relevant since data from the Aberdeen study and Rotterdam study indicate that the effect of COLIA1 genotype on bone mass increases with age, which could account for the positive effect in the Australian twins and negative effect in the U S twins

Ethnic Differences in COLIA1 Sp1 Polymorphism The polymorpism has also been studied in COLIA1 Sp1 genotype noncauscasian populations. In one study, Beavan reported that the “s” allele was rare in Africans and absent from 200 Chinese individuals (26). In another study, Lim et al. looked at the COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism in 152 Korean individuals (27). Lim found no


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individuals with the “Ss” or “ss” genotype. These data suggest that the “s” allele is rare or absent from Asian (Oriental) populations. This observations is of interest in relation to ethnic differences in incidence of osteoporotic fracture (28). Asians have a lower incidence of osteoporotic fractures than Caucasians and these differences are not completely explained by differences in bone mass. Factors such as difference in hip axis length have been invoked as a possible explanation for these differences (28), but another factor might be differences in genetic makeup of the different populations.

Other Polymorphisms at the COLIA1 and COLIA2 Loci Vandervyver investigated the relationship between Msp1 and Rsa1 polymorphisms at the COLIA1 and COLIA2 loci in relation to bone mass and osteoporotic fracture in 335 healthy postmenopausal Belgian women (29). No significant difference in ditribution of the polymorphisms was observed between osteoporotic, osteopaenic, or normal women and there was no difference between the genotype groups in terms of BMD at the spine, hip, or wrist. These polymorphisms were also investigated by Spotila et al. in a linkage study of osteoporotic families. In this study Spotila classified individuals as affected, partially affected, or unaffected according to Z-score and analyzed the relationhip between affection status and genetic markers at candidate loci including COLIA1 and COLIA2. No evidence of linkage between bone mass and polymorphisms at the collagen loci was found in these families (30).

Conclusions Several polymorphisms have been described at the COLIA1 and COLIA2 loci, but few have been studied in relation to bone mass and osteoporotic fracture. The most extensively studied and potentially most important is the polymorphic Sp1 binding site in the COLIA1 gene. Data from several studies suggests that this polymorphism acts as a genetic marker for BMD and osteoporotic fracture, although the molecular mechanisms which underlie this association are at present unclear. Six case-control studies have been performed, looking at the distribution of COLIA1 Sp1 alleles in fracture patients and five of these have shown a significant over-representation of the “Ss” and “ss” genotypes in patients with fracture cases as compared with controls. In the sixth a similar trend was observed which failed to reach significance. When data from all the studies are combined there is significant over-representation of the “s” allele in osteoporotic fracture cases as compared with controls with an overall relative risk of about 1.65 (Fig. 3). Studies on bone density in relation to COLIA1 genotyping have shown that BMD values are generally lower in those with the Ss /ss genotypes than those with the SS genotype although the effect on BMD is modest and in most studies has been equivalent to 0.2–0.3 z score units. This is not sufficient to account for the increased risk of fracture associated with the “s” allele and suggests that the

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Fig. 3. Relationship between COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism and osteoporotic fracture. The figure shows cumulative data from six studies where COLIA1 genotype has been investigated in case control studies of patients with osteoporotic fractures (16,20–23,25) (see text for details). Although cases were not aged matched with controls in two of these studies (23,25), there was a highly significant over representation of the “Ss” and “ss” genotypes in fracture cases as compared with controls. (χ 2 = 23.9, p < 0.0001), equivalent to an odds ratio for fracture of 1.65 (95% CI = 1.36–1.96) in individuals who carry the “s” allele. Percentage values for each genotype group in cases and controls are shown above each column.

COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism may act as a marker for increased fracture risk by mechanisms which are partly independent of differences in bone mass. Further studies, using techniques such as ultrasound in relation to COLIA1 genotype will be of interest to investigate this observation further. The COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism is the only polymorphism of a candidate gene so far identified to predict the clinically important endpoint of fracture raising the possibility that it may have a role in risk assessment. Although the COLIA1 polymorphism has predictive value in population terms, it is likely to be of limited predictive value in individual terms, since many osteoporotic fractures occur in individuals who do not carry the “s” allele and vice-versa. This reflects the fact that COLIA1 is only one of the genes which regulate bone mass and predisposition to the development of osteoporosis. When other candidate genes are defined, it is possible that we shall be able to combine information from several polymorphisms to give better prediction of those at risk of osteoporotic fracture, and to combine this information with other means of risk assessment such as bone mass measurements and biochemical markers.


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Acknowledgment I wish to thank Dr. S. Grant, Dr. B. Langdahl, Dr. A. McLellan, Dr. P. Garnero, Dr. A. Uitterlinden, and Dr. M.-C. de Vernejoul, for sharing information in advance of publication, and the Wellcome Trust and the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council for Grant Support.

References 1. Prockop, D. J. and Kivirikko, K. I. (1984) Heritable diseases of collagen. N. Engl. J. Med. 311, 376–386. 2. Chu, M. L., de Wet, W., Bernard, M., and Ramirez, F. (1985) Fine structural analysis of the human pro-alpha-1(I) collagen gene. J. Biol. Chem. 260, 2315–2320. 3. Slack, J. L., Liska, D. J., and Bornstein, P. (1993) Regulation of expression of the type I collagen genes. Am. J. Med. Genet. 45, 140–151. 4. Boast, S., Su, M., Ramirez, F., Sanchez, M., and Avvedimento, E. V. (1990) Functional analysis of cis-acting sequences controlling transcription of the human type I collagen genes. J. Biol. Chem. 265, 13,351–13,356. 5. Karsenty, G. and de Crombrugghe, B. (1990) Two different negative and one positive regulatory factors interact with a short promotor segment of the alpha-1(I) collagen gene. J. Biol. Chem. 265, 9934–9942. 6. Bornstein, P., McKay, J., Morishima, J. K., Devarayalu, S., and Gelinas, R. E. (1987) Regulatory elements in the first intron contribute to transcriptional control of the human collagen alpha 1 (I) collagen gene. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 8869–8873. 7. Bornstein, P. and McKay, J. (1988) The first intron of the alpha 1(I) collagen gene contains several transcriptional regulatory elements. J. Biol. Chem. 263, 1603–1606. 8. Rippe, R. A., Lorenzen, S. I., Brenner, D. A., and Breindl, M. (1989) Regulatory elements in the 5'-flanking region and the first intron contribute to transcriptional control of the mouse alpha 1 type I collagen gene. Mol. Cell. Biol. 9, 2224–2227. 9. Canalis E. (1986) Interleukin-1 has independent effects on deoxyribonucleic acid and collagen synthesis in cultures of rat calvariae. Endocrinology 118, 74–81. 10. Reid, I. R. and Grey, A. B. (1993) Corticosteroid osteoporosis, in Bailliere’s Clinical Rheumatology, 7th ed. (Reid, D. M., ed.), Bailliere Tindall, London, pp. 573–587. 11. Rowe, D. W. (1991) Osteogenesis imperfecta, in Bone and Mineral Research, (Heersche, J. N. M. and Kanis, J. A., eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 209–241. 12. Stover, M. L., Primorac, D., Liu, S. C., McKinstry, M. B., and Rowe, D. W. (1993) Defective splicing of mRNA from one COL1A1 allele of type I collagen in nondeforming (type I) osteogenesis imperfecta. J. Clin. Invest. 92, 1994–2002. 13. Willing, M. C., Pruchno, C. J., and Byers, P. H. (1993) Molecular heterogeneity in osteogenesis imperfecta type I. Am. J. Med. Genet. 45, 223–227. 14. Spotila, L. D., Constantinou, C. D., Sereda, L., Ganguly, A., Riggs, B. L., and Prockop, D. J. (1991) Mutation in the gene for type I procollagen (COL1A2) in a woman with postmenopausal osteoporosis, evidence for a phenotypic and genotypic overlap with mild osteogenesis imperfecta. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 5243–5427. 15. Spotila, L. D., Colige, A., Sereda, L., et al. (1994) Mutation analysis of coding sequences for type I procollagen in individuals with low bone density. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 923–932.

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16. Grant, S. F. A., Reid, D. M., Blake, G., Herd, R., Fogelman, I., and Ralston, S. H. (1996) Reduced bone density and osteoporosis associated with a polymorphic Sp1 site in the collagen type I alpha 1 gene. Nat. Genet. 14, 203–205. 17. Uitterlinden, A. G., Burger, H., Huang, O., Yue, F., McGuigan, F. E. A., Grant, S. F. A., Hofman, A., van Leeuwen, J. P. T. M., Pols, H. A. P., and Ralston, S. H. (1998) Relation of alleles of the collagen type I α 1 gene to bone density and risk of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women. N. Engl. J. Med. 338, 1016–1022. 18. Garnero, P., Borel, O., Grant, S. F. A., Ralston, S. H., and Delmas, P. D. (1998) Collagen I α 1 polymorphism, bone mass and bone turnover in healthy French premenopausal women: the OFELY study. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 813–818. 19. McCloskey, E. V., Gray, R. L., Grant, S. F. A., et al. (1997) COL1A1 polymorphism and bone mass in elderly women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12(suppl), S547. 20. Keen, R. W., Woodford-Richens, K. L., Grant, S. F. A., Lanchbury, J. S., and Ralston, S. H., and Spector, T. D. (1999) Polymorphism at the type I collagen (COLIA1) locus is associated with reduced bone mineral density, increased fracture risk and increased collagen turnover. Arth. Rheum. 42, 285–290. 21. Langdahl, B. L., Ralston, S. H., Grant, S. F. A., and Eriksen, E. F. (1998) An Sp1 binding site polymorphism in the COLIA1 gene predicts osteoporotic fractures in men and women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 13, 1384–1389. 22. de Vernejoul, M., Haguenauer, D., Cohen-Solal, M. E., and Beaudreuil, J. (1997) Polymorphism of collagen I and vertebral osteoporosis, no association. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12(suppl), S549(Abstract). 23. McLellan, A. R., Jagger, C., Spooner, R., Sutcliffe, R., Harrison, J., and Shapiro, D. (1997)Are COLIA1 polymorphisms important determinants of bone mineral density and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women in the UK? J. Bone Miner. Res. 12(suppl), S119(Abstract). 24. Grant, S. F. A., Nguyen, T. V., Howard, G. M., et al. (1997) Genetic linkage between a polymorphism in the collagen I alpha 1 gene and bone mineral density, a twin study. Bone 20(suppl), 7S(Abstract). 25. Hustmyer, F. G., Lui, G., Christian, J. C., Johnston, C. C., and Peacock, M. (1999) Polymorphism at an Sp1 binding site of COLIA1 and bone mineral density in premenopausal female twins and elderly fracture patients. Osteoporosis Int. 9, 346–350. 26. Beavan, S., Prentice, A., Dibba, B., Yan, L., Cooper, C., and Ralston, S. H. (1998) Polymorphism of the collagen type I alpha 1 gene and thenic differenced in hipfractue rates. N. Engl. J. Med. 339, 351–352. 27. Lim, S., Li, S. Z., Won, Y. J., Shin, W., Lee, H. C., and Huh, K. B. (1997) Lack of association between a polymorphic Sp1 binding site in collagen type 1 alpha 1 gene and osteoporosis in Korean women. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12(suppl), S491(abstract). 28. Cummings, S. R., Cauley, J. A., Palermo, L., et al. (1994) Racial differences in hip axis lengths might explain racial differences in rates of hip fracture. Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Osteoporosis Int. 4, 226–229. 29. Vandevyer, C., Philipparts, L., Cassiman, J., Raus, J., and Guesens, P. (1997) Bone mineral density in post-menopausal women is not associated with type I collagen (COL1A1 and COL1A2) dimorphisms. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12(suppl), S490(Abstract). 30. Spotila, L. D., Caminis, J., Devoto, M., et al. (1996) Osteopenia in 37 members of seven families, analysis based on a model of dominant inheritance. Mol. Med. 2, 313–324.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta

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CHAPTER 5

Osteogenesis Imperfecta Paul A. Dawson and Joan C. Marini Introduction Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder of connective tissue which includes a spectrum of phenotypes ranging from perinatal-lethal to mild, virtually asymptomatic conditions (1). The most significant clinical feature that defines all OI types is the susceptibility to bone fracture from mild trauma. OI is the most common disorder causing fractures in childhood and occurs in all races with a prevalence of about 1 in 10–20,000. The clinical features of OI are caused by structural or quantitative defects in type I collagen, the predominant component of bone and skin extracellular matrix. Thus, the “brittle bone” feature of OI can be accompanied by other connective tissue abnormalities including short stature, joint laxity, blue sclerae, dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI), fragile skin, and hearing loss. Most of our knowledge related to this disease has come from studies on OI patients within the last two decades. However, the earliest example of an OI phenotype is preserved in the skeletal remains of a 4-yr-old Egyptian child of the second century BC (2). Early accounts of the OI phenotype which describe crippling skeletal distortion and familial transmission were documented from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (3). By the early 1900s, Looser described both the severe early onset infantile (OI congenita) and a later childhood and early adult form (OI tarda) (4). More than a decade later, Bell formally described the autosomal dominant inheritance in mild OI (5). However, it was not until recently that the classification of OI expanded and the molecular basis of its pathogenesis was revealed. This chapter reviews the different types of OI with emphasis on the clinical, biochemical, and molecular aspects of the disease. In addition, issues on OI management and future prospects for therapeutic treatments is discussed.

The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Clinical The full clinical spectrum of OI is described by the Sillence classification (see Table 1) and ranges from neonatal death to individuals without childhood fractures who are identified only because of a positive family history or physical signs. Most OI patients can be grouped into one of the four Sillence classifications, which are based on clinical, physical, and radiographic findings and mode of inheritance (1). In general, the degree of bone fragility is most severe in type II OI, less severe in type III OI, moderate in type IV OI, and least severe in type I OI (Fig. 1). Although some patients show a phenotypic overlap of these groups, the Sillence classification has proved valuable for clinical and biochemical discussion on the topic of OI (6). Type I OI is the mildest and most common form of OI with an estimated frequency of between 1 in 15,000 and 1 in 20,000. However, the prevalence of type I OI may be underestimated due to its mild clinical presentation. Individuals with this mild form of the disease are usually diagnosed on the basis of blue sclerae and mild to moderate bone fragility prior to puberty. Fractures rarely occur in utero or in the perinatal period, although mild osteopenia or femoral bowing may be present in some newborns. Fractures may occur in any bone and are usually related to moderate trauma while changing diapers or when the child begins to walk. Fracture frequency usually remains constant throughout childhood but sharply declines with the onset of puberty. The height of individuals with type I OI is usually within normal limits, although affected individuals are often shorter than their unaffected family members. Vertebral bone compression (“codfish” vertebrae) frequently accompanies loss of height in later decades. An increase in fracture frequency often occurs following the menopause in women and the sixth to eighth decades in men. OI type I is subclassified as IA if the teeth are normal or IB if dentinogenesis imperfecta is present. About one half of patients with type I OI have premature hearing loss, beginning in the late teens and progressing to severe loss by the fourth decade. Additional clinical findings frequently present in individuals with type I OI include mitral valve prolapse, hyperextensibility of large joints, and easy bruising. Overall, the life span for individuals with type I OI is near normal. The moderately severe type IV form of OI also has A and B subtypes based on the absence or presence of dentinogenesis imperfecta. Type IV OI is characterized by mild to moderate bone fragility and short stature which is generally below the 5th percentile for age. Although birth length is often normal, the height of affected individuals drops below the 25th percentile by 2 yr of age, and in most cases below the 5th percentile. Most infants with type IV OI can be identified in the perinatal period or immediately following birth based on the presence of bone fractures. In occasional cases, type IV OI infants have only mild femoral bowing. Fractures in type IV OI patients are quite variable but are common during the first few months after birth. Fracture frequency usually increases


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Table 1 Modified Sillence Classification of the Four Types of OI Classification

Clinical features

Inhertance

Type I

Mild bone fragility Blue sclerae in most cases Premature hearing loss in some families Dentinogenesis imperfecta (type IB)

Autosomal dominant

Type II

Extremely severe bone fragility Blue or black sclerae Lethal in fetal or perinatal period Rare cases of survival up to 1 yr

Autosomal dominant Recurrence risk in sibs is about 7% due to parental mosaicism

Type III

Progressively severe bone fragility Autosomal dominant Normal, blue or gray sclerae in infancy, Rare autosomal progressing to normal in adolescence recessive Dentinogenesis imperfecta and/or hearing loss may be present in some cases

Type IV

Moderate bone fragility Autosomal dominant Normal, blue or gray sclerae in infancy, progressing to normal in adolescence Hearing loss in some families Dentinogenesis imperfecta (type IVB)

following ambulation but declines with the onset of puberty. Although fractures are uncommon in the 20–40-yr-old age group, there is a dramatic increase in the later decades, especially in postmenopausal women. Hearing loss also occurs in some cases of type IV OI and is consistent within pedigrees. Scoliosis may occur in individuals with type IV OI and ranges from mild to severe. The presence of kyphoscoliosis may compromise cardiopulmonary function. However, the prognosis of affected individuals following surgery is significantly improved. In the absence of cardiovascular problems, the life span for individuals with type IV OI is near normal. The severe and progressively deforming variety of osteogenesis imperfecta is classified as type III OI. Affected individuals are recognized in the perinatal period or immediately following birth because of long bone fractures and cranial abnormalities. Radiographs of newborns generally reveal an undermineralized calvarium with a large anterior fontanelle and Wormian bones, thin ribs, and gracile long bones which usually show signs of fractures or bowing. Many type III OI individuals die in infancy or during childhood and adolescence as a result

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Fig. 1. Radiographs of individuals with (A) type II, (B and C) type IV, and (D and E) type III OI.

of respiratory problems, cardiac decompensation, or basilar impression with compression of the brain stem. However, longterm survival is not infrequent. In those individuals who survive, there is a gradual deformity of the long bones and spine as a result of fractures and gravitational stress. The thin cortex of the long bones predisposes to angulation deformities, which in turn leads to fractures. Individuals with type III OI have the highest fracture frequency of all OI types and it is not uncommon for affected individuals to have more than 100 fractures throughout life. Additional clinical findings include DI, blue sclerae in infancy which become white in late childhood, and chest wall deformities, either pectus excavatum or carinatum. In occasional cases of type III OI, hyperplastic callus formation may be observed at the site of fractures. These sites of hyperplastic callus have been associated with osteosarcoma in a small proportion of affected children. Almost all affected individuals have relative macrocephaly and many


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have absolute macrocephaly. There may be ventricular enlargement and sulcal prominence. However, there is no evidence for decreased intellectual function. Type III OI children usually develop a characteristic triangular facies, with a broad and bossed forehead and small chin. Type II OI is the perinatal lethal form of osteogenesis imperfecta and affects between 1 in 20–60,000 infants. Affected individuals are often delivered prematurely or are stillborn, and some are hydropic. Rare cases of survival beyond a year have been reported. Birth weight and length are often small for gestational age. The type II OI phenotype has a characteristic triangular facies, flat midface, small beaked nose, dark sclerae and extremely soft calvarium. The thoracic cavity is small and the ribs are generally beaded because of callus formation associated with healing in utero fractures. Type II OI individuals have either broad or gracile ribs. The extremities are short and bowed, and the legs are usually flexed and abducted at right angles to the body in the “frog-leg” position. Radiographs at birth generally demonstrate severely decreased calvarial mineralization, crumpled femurs, and bowed tibias. Affected individuals are extremely fragile and vaginal delivery may result in avulsion of body parts or intracranial hemorrhage. Pulmonary insufficiency, congestive heart failure, or infection are the usual causes of death for those infants surviving delivery.

Biochemical Mechanisms of OI Type I collagen is the most abundant fibrous protein in the human body, and provides the major mechanical strength of several connective tissues including bone. Type I procollagen, the precursor of type I collagen, consists of a triple helix of two proα1(I) chains and one proα2(I) chain (Fig. 2). The chains consist of approximately 1000 amino acids with uninterrupted repeats of the Gly-X-Y sequence in the triple helical domain, where Gly is glycine and X and Y are often proline and hydroxyproline, respectively. Glycine residues normally occupy the sterically restricted position in the center of the triple helix. Substitution of glycine at this position with a bulkier amino acid interferes with the normal formation of the triple helix (7). In normal fibroblasts and osteoblasts, the proα(I) chains are synthesized in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER). These chains are secreted into the ER lumen where they assemble in the correct proportion and alignment. Chain nucleation begins within a specific 15 amino-acid alignment region in the carboxyl-terminal extensions (8). Helix formation then proceeds spontaneously from the carboxyl end to the amino terminal end with simultaneous hydroxylation of proline and lysine residues (9). Hydroxylysine residues are then glycosylated by sugar transferases (10). These modifications occur only on the portion of the α-chains that have not assumed a helical conformation. Substitutions for glycine residues produce overmodification because they cause a delay in helix formation at the site of the alteration which results in a longer time of exposure of proα-

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Fig. 2. Two pro-α1(I) chains and one pro-α2(I) chain assemble to form type I procollagen, which is then processed to type I collagen.

chains to the modifying enzymes. Because of the unidirectional folding of the triple helix, the overmodification is generally amino terminal to the alteration (7). Newly formed procollagen molecules are secreted into the pericellular space where they undergo further processing by specific proteinases which cleave off the N- and C-propeptides. The type I collagen molecules then assemble into the crosslinked collagen fibrils of the extracellular matrix. The fibrils are stabilized by intermolecular cross-links formed by oxidative deamination of lysine and hydroxylysine residues. The fibrillar array of type I collagen owes its strength to the precise chain alignment, thermostable helix, and proper modifications. Thus, disruptions to these structural properties would be predicted to have significant functional consequences. Indeed, collagen-stained bone sections from all OI phenotypes show abnormalities ranging from matrix depletion in type I or IV OI, to severe disorganization of severely depleted bone matrix in types II and III OI. Most cases of the mild type I form of OI result from a quantitative defect of type I collagen. In these situations, only half the normal amount of collagen is synthesized. This type of defect is usually the consequence of a mutation in the


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COL1A1 gene that introduces a premature stop codon, producing either unstable mRNA or the synthesis of truncated unstable collagen. Analysis of α1(I) chains from type I OI individuals usually reveals an increased α1(III):α1(I) ratio as a result of reduced levels of α1(I) chains. Glycine substitutions and exon skipping in α1(I) and α2(I) chains have also been reported in cases of type I OI. Most of these defects are clustered toward the amino-terminal end, presumably reducing their effect on helix formation and structure (11). The clinically significant types II, III and IV OI are associated with structurally abnormal collagens which are incorporated into the extracellular matrix. Substitutions of amino acids with charged, polar, or bulky side groups for single glycine residues in the triple helix domain of either pro-α chain are the most common (80%) form of structural defect in type I collagen. The functional consequences of glycine substitutions in any of the repeating Gly-X-Y triplets of the helical domain of the α-chains depend on the α-chain involved, the nature and site of the substitution and the surrounding amino acid sequence. Single exon splicing errors account for about 11% of structural defects and the remainder comprises deletions, duplications, and insertions. The production of structurally abnormal α-chains has a variety of effects on the function of type I collagen. Defects in either chain of type I collagen can give rise to decreased thermal stability, increased intracellular degradation (termed ‘procollagen suicide’), and impaired secretion of procollagen molecules incorporating one or more mutant chains. In some cases, the cleavage of the N- and C-propeptides may be prevented, leading to the failure of fibril assembly. Most of the severe OI phenotypes occur when abnormal collagen polymerizes with normal collagen in the extracellular matrix to produce fibrils with irregular shape, slow assembly, and abnormal mineralization. Structural defects in the α1(I) chain might have been expected to be more deleterious than those at equivalent positions of the α2(I) chain because of the stoichiometry of type I collagen molecules. In the heterozygous state, mutations in the α2(I) chain would be expected to result in equal amounts of normal and mutant helices. Defects in the α1(I) chain would be expected to result in 25% normal helices, while 75% of the molecules would contain either 1 or 2 mutant chains. However, approximately equal proportions of all clinical types occur in each chain. A gradient of severity has been observed with substitutions of cysteine for glycine in the α1(I) chain(11). Amino terminal cysteine substitutions produce mild type I OI phenotypes, central substitutions produce type III and IV OI, and carboxyl terminal substitutions produce the lethal type II form of OI. The presence of a cysteine substitution in α1(I) results in the formation of reducible cysteine dimers which are distinct on polyacrylamide gels (Fig. 3C). Gradients are not apparent with other amino acid substitutions in either chain of type I collagen. However, alternating clusters of lethal and nonlethal phenotypes have been mapped to the COL1A2 gene and this has led to a Regional Model for the α2(I) chain (12,13). In most cases, biochemical testing can distinguish structurally abnormal type I collagen from normal type I collagen (Fig. 3). The abnormal collagen chains

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Fig. 3. SDS-urea-polyacrylamide gel analysis of collagen synthesized by fibroblasts derived from OI individuals (OI) and their father (F) and mother (M) and a control (C). Mutant collagens are detected as a doublet (A), slight baseline shift (B), and α1(I) dimers as a result of a cysteine for glycine substitution (C).

appear on polyacrylamide gels as additional bands with faster or slower migration (Fig. 3A), or as bands with a diffuse back-streaking appearance. In some instances, the biochemical alteration is very slight and causes only a small baseline shift on gel electrophoresis (Fig. 3B). Digestion of intact α chains of type I collagen with cyanogen bromide (cleaves at methionine) yields smaller peptides whose order is known. Analysis of the smaller peptides can identify the extent of chain overmodification and suggest the helical location of the glycine substitution. This knowledge can then be used to screen for the underlying defect in complementary segments of both type I collagen genes. Some cases display an unequivocal clinical diagnosis of OI, but do not show any biochemical abnormality in type I collagen. Thus, it is difficult to predict the severity of clinical phenotype, based on the biochemical abnormality. Other factors also modify the severity of phenotype, as different phenotypes have been described with the same mutation. For example, the substitution of glycine352 and 415 in the α1(I) chain by serine can produce the type II, III, or IV OI phenotypes (14). Biochemical differences between osteoblast and fibroblast type I collagen from patients with OI suggest that the metabolism of collagen is cell-specific. OI osteoblast collagen is more modified than fibroblast collagen derived from the same


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individual (15). These differences would appear to have significant implications for understanding why type I collagen mutations affect bone more than skin.

Genetics The familial incidence of OI has been documented since 1788 (16). By the early 1900s, accounts of familial transmission were grouped into either the severe early onset infantile “congenita” or a later childhood OI “tarda” form (4). Renewed interest in the inheritance of OI came from studies of Sillence and colleagues in the 1970s (1). Since then, interest in the molecular mechanisms and genetics of OI has expanded. We now know that virtually all OI cases (>90%) are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, with mutations in the genes (COL1A1 or COL1A2) encoding the α1(I) and α2(I) subunits of type I procollagen (17). Almost 200 mutations have been reported in the COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes that are located on chromosomes 17q21.3-q22 and 7q21.3-q22, respectively (18). Most of these mutations (92%) are scattered throughout the helical coding domains of both genes and cause the disruption of triple helix formation or introduction of a premature-termination codon. All classes of mutation are represented, with missense mutations causing the substitution of glycine being the most common (80%), splicing-defects less common (11%), and the remainder comprising insertions, deletions, and duplications. Rare occurrences of mutations in the C-propeptide and C-telopeptide of both genes have also been described in cases of type II and III OI. These mutations cause the substitution or deletion of amino acids in the α-chain alignment region which is an absolute requirement for initiating triple helix formation (8). The mildest forms of OI are usually caused by premature-termination codons or out-of-frame RNA-splicing defects which lead to a reduction in the level of type I collagen α1 mRNA (19). Such defects are also known as “null-allele” mutations. Recent investigations have demonstrated that null-allele mutations which convert the arginine codon CGA to the premature-termination codon TGA tend to occur in a common 9 nucleotide sequence context (20). This sequence context is present six times in the COL1A1 gene, whereas the COL1A2 gene has none. This finding is consistent with a lack of COL1A2 null-allele mutations in the literature. However, the 2:1 ratio of α1:α2 chains in collagen should also be considered as a factor for an absence of COL1A2 null-alleles in OI patients. Additional studies are warranted to further our understanding of why null-alleles exist in the COL1A1 gene but may not in the COL1A2 gene. Null-allele α1(I) genotypes have the most predictable effect on the OI phenotype. Genotype-phenotype correlations in the type II, III, and IV forms of the disease are more difficult to predict. Nonetheless, clusters of lethal and nonlethal mutations have been mapped in the COL1A2 gene which have led to the α2(I) Regional Model (13). In most cases, OI occurs sporadically as a consequence of a new type I collagen mutation which presumably occurs in the germinal cells or in the very early embryonic stages of development. Molecular studies have established that

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type II OI cases almost always result from a new dominant mutation in type I collagen and that the recurrence in a subsequent pregnancy results from germline or mixed germline and somatic mosaicism in one of the parents (21). Mosaicism in a known carrier can be detected by molecular techniques which identify both normal and mutant sequences on the same allele derived from leukocyte genomic DNA. Depending on the percentage and tissue distribution of the mutation, the mosaic carrier may show some signs of the disease or appear clinically normal. Before these studies, some type II OI babies were considered to have an autosomal recessive inheritance of a type I collagen mutation with a 25% chance of recurrence in subsequent pregnancies. However, a number of recent studies have demonstrated that babies with type II OI are heterozygous for the mutation and that the empiric recurrence risk is about 7% rather than the 25% expected for recessive inheritance (7). In an individual family, the actual recurrence risk depends on the proportion of germ cells carrying the mutation. As a result of these investigations, families have elected to have more children when previously they would have avoided it. Similarly, type III and IV OI siblings with clinically normal parents usually result from parental mosaicism for a dominant type I collagen mutation. Thus, recurrence of OI in siblings identifies a family in which there is very likely to be germline mosaicism for the mutation. Interestingly, the ratio of male:female germline mosaic carriers is approx 2:1, presumably due to a higher rate of mutagenesis in the male germ cell lineage. Individuals with homozygous type I collagen defects are extremely rare and only 3 cases have been documented at both the biochemical and molecular level. In each case, homozygous COL1A2 mutations were detected in children with the severe type III form of OI. In two of these cases, the mildly affected parents were heterozygous for either a missense mutation causing a glycine substitution (G751S) (22), or a 4 nucleotide frame-shift deletion in the α2(I) C-propeptide which prevented the incorporation of the pro-α2 chain into the type I collagen molecule (23). The third case was due to maternal isodisomy of a fragment of chromosome 7 which contained a single base mutation in the COL1A2 gene (24). This mutation caused the substitution of serine for glycine (G661S). In this family, the mildly affected mother was heterozygous for the mutation. The phenotype of her son resembled two previously reported cases with uniparental isodisomy of chromosome 7. Additional clinical findings in this OI case included slightly blue sclerae and low bone mineral density which were consistent with the COL1A2 mutation. These homozygous cases, although rare, show that genetic counseling for OI must take into account that transmission of two mutant alleles does occur and that heterozygous carriers can show mild expression of the disease. Prenatal diagnosis of OI can be made using ultrasound, biochemical, and DNA testing and is largely dependent on the prior study of an affected individual in the family. In families with no history of the disease, only the severe phenotypes of type II and III OI are accurately detected by ultrasound, usually at 15–16 and 19–20 wk of gestation, respectively. In those families with a history of OI, direct mutational or biochemical analysis can be performed to identify abnormal


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collagen in chorionic villus (CV) cells. However, chorionic villi are not useful for the accurate identification of the amounts of type I collagen synthesized and thus, have limited value in the diagnosis of type I OI. Prenatal diagnosis of type I OI is usually performed by linkage analysis of the COL1A1 gene or screening for a known mutation. Amniocytes are not suitable for biochemical studies of type I collagen but are useful for direct molecular detection of known mutations. In a recent study, 120 couples with a family history of type II, III, or I OI were screened for type I collagen defects using biochemical or DNA based assays (25). Twenty-six affected fetuses were identified from this screening and there were neither falsenegative nor false-positive results. The differential diagnosis of OI includes a number of disorders with overlapping phenotype but lacking in linkage to collagen (7). Recessive cases of a condition with a type III OI phenotype have been documented in the black population of South Africa (26), and in one Pakistani consanguineous pedigree (27). The cause is presumably due to defects in another extracellular matrix component involved in bone morphogenesis or metabolism. A number of metabolic disorders including homocystinuria, thanatophoric dysplasia, and hypophosphatasia are also in the differential diagnosis of OI.

Clinical Management The mainstay of OI clinical management is aggressive rehabilitation medicine intervention to facilitate the attainment of gross motor skills, including ambulation when possible, and to maximize skills for independent living. In infancy, children with OI should be handled with appropriate precautions rather than having contact minimized for fear of fractures. Physical therapy will usually be necessary for type III and some type IV children to attain head control, because of relative macrocephaly. Custom molded seating may be required to maintain proper alignment of head, spine, and trunk before severely affected infants attain postural control. For children who initially hold their legs in the abducted “frog-legs” position, stretching and extension exercises are effective in bringing the lower extremities into proper alignment for motor development (28). Children at the more severe end of the Type III OI phenotypic range often cannot attain ambulation despite optimum intervention. For these individuals, mobility will be by electric wheelchair and therapy should aim at transfer and independent living skills. Children at the milder end of the Type IV OI range will attain ambulation spontaneously and will require orthopedic management of fractures to maintain community ambulation status. For children between these phenotypic extremes, ambulation may be attained by an assisted program of long-leg braces and an exercise program aimed at strengthening quadriceps and gluteal muscles (29). Children initially ambulate in braces plus a walker for balance and weight distribution. They progress to lightweight crutches, then to braces alone. Eventually, most type IV and some type III individuals can be weaned from braces, especially as bone density rises with puberty.

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Orthopedic care should be obtained from a surgeon with experience in the management of OI. Hairline or microfractures may be managed with splinting and ace wraps. All significant fractures should be cast for proper alignment and maximum function. To minimize the osteoporosis of immobilization, casts should be replaced by splints as soon as allowed by healing. Lower limb long bones which are bowed more than 45° are at increased fracture risk. Intramedullary rod placement may be required to correct bowing or alignment or to stabilize a particularly severe fracture (30). Bailey-Dubow rods have the advantage of extensibility. Their disadvantages are high incidence of migration from the bone and increased osteoporosis due to the diameter and stiffness of the rod. Rush and Enders rods are thinner and somewhat more flexible and have a lower incidence of migration but do not telescope. Unfortunately, the scoliosis of OI is not amenable to correction or stabilization by bracing. Fixation and stabilization by rods and wires will be more successful if performed before the curvature reaches 60°. Short stature is the second most prevalent and significant feature of OI. All type III OI patients have extreme short stature with final adult height less than that of an unaffected late-prepubertal child of the same gender (31). Type IV patients have significant short stature with heights always below the 2nd percentile and type I patients are usually shorter than unaffected family members (32). The loss of stature is disproportionately in the lower limbs, with better preservation of trunk height and armspan. A pilot treatment study with standard dose growth hormone (0.1–.2 u/kg/d, 6 d/wk) has shown that the majority of type IV children are responsive and can attain substantial increases in linear growth rate. Responders also show improved bone histology after 1 yr of treatment and a modest, but statistically significant, increase in bone mineralization compared to nonresponders. The morbidity and mortality of OI is predominantly cardio-pulmonary, with recurrent pneumonias in infancy and childhood and development of cor pulmonale in middle age. Respiratory infections should be treated promptly and aggressively in children. Convention management of cor pulmonale, guided by pulmonary function tests, is appropriate. An additional significant secondary feature of OI is the development of basilar invagination (BI) (33). The incidence of BI is greater than previously appreciated, although progression to brain stem compression in childhood or teen years occurs in a minority of cases. Initial detection of BI may be done by spiral CT; progression to compression of neural tissue is best followed by MRI at annual intervals. Changes in long track signs may be detected; symptoms such as headache occur relatively late and require consultation for neurosurgical management. Recently, there have been several studies suggesting that the bisphosphonates may be a useful therapeutic agent in OI, with potential to increase bone density and reverse osteopenia. The bisphosphonates are synthetic analogs of pyrophosphate, a natural inhibitor of osteoclastic bone resorption. Although the members of the bisphosphonate family, especially pamidronate and alendronate, would not be expected to decrease the synthesis or matrix incorporation of mutant collagen, they may be


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beneficial to OI patients by decreasing the high bone turnover state. It is not yet clear whether bisphosphonate-treated bone will have improved biomechanical properties.

Future Prospects for Gene Therapy of OI The clinical phenotypes of severely affected OI patients continue to challenge pediatric care. Because of the limited response of severely affected patients to conventional therapies, it is important to develop new therapeutic approaches that can be applied either separately or in conjunction with current treatments. Gene therapy represents a promising approach to ameliorate the severity of the disease. In general, gene therapy involves the augmentation of a missing or defective gene. Gene augmentation therapy can be helpful in recessive disorders. However, augmentation therapy alone will not be of much benefit when a mutation yields a protein with a dominant negative effect, as is the case of mutant type I collagen in OI. In order to correct the dominant negative effect in OI, therapy would have to selectively inactivate the mutant type I collagen gene without affecting the expression of the normal allele. Because the mildest form of OI is usually associated with a null alpha chain, suppression of mutant mRNAs would be predicted to modulate the severity of the disease from the moderate and severe forms to a biochemical equivalent of mild type I OI. One strategy involves the inactivation of mutant mRNA using antisense technologies. Antisense oligonucleotides have been used to inhibit the expression of a mutant α2(I) allele in cultured fibroblasts derived from a patient with type IV OI (34). That study used OI cells which harbor a single nucleotide change (G+1>A) at the exon 16 splice donor site in one α2(I) collagen allele. Antisense, and control (sense and missense) 20-mer phosphorothioates were designed to target both the abnormal mRNA exon 15/17 junction and the nuclear level point mutation. This investigation demonstrated the antisense suppression of mutant protein to approx 50% and mutant α2(I) mRNA to about 40% of their levels in control cells. However, the antisense oligonucleotides also suppressed the normal allele mRNA to 80% of its level in untreated cells. Unfortunately, the level and specificity of mutant allele suppression observed in the cell culture system appears to be insufficient for therapeutic trials. Ribozymes represent an alternative to antisense oligonucleotides for the inactivation of mutant mRNAs (35). Hammerhead ribozymes are the smallest form of catalytic RNA which can be designed to cleave almost any RNA. The basic structure of the hammerhead ribozyme consists of a small catalytic core domain plus 5'- and 3'-flanking sequences (Fig. 4). The flanking sequences are designed to bind to a particular RNA. Another major requirement for ribozyme action is on the target sequence and consists of a three nucleotide cleavage site which is most often GUC in nature, although other trinucleotides can be cleaved as well. The binding arms position the ribozyme on the target so that the catalytic core cleaves after the third nucleotide in the cleavage sequence. The combination

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Fig. 4. (A) Secondary structure of the hammerhead ribozyme. Conserved sequences are bolded and the cleavage site is shown. (B) Ribozymes can be designed to bind to a specific target site which is present on both mutant and normal RNAs. However, since the mutation on the mutant RNA creates a ribozyme cleavage site, only mutant RNA is cleaved.

of requirements for both a binding site and a cleavage site provide ribozymes with specificity capabilities for point mutations that cannot be achieved with linear antisense oligonucleotides. In addition, the catalytic capability of the ribozyme provides the potential for increased efficiency and stability. Hammerhead ribozymes have been used to cleave viral (HIV, influenza) and cellular RNAs in vitro and in vivo (36–39). Recent studies on Marfan syndrome, another dominant negative genetic disorder, demonstrated that ribozymes efficiently cleaved fibrillin RNA in cultured fibroblasts (40) and osteosarcoma cells (41). However, cleavage in these situations was not allele specific. Mutation-specific cleavage of N-ras transcripts in HeLa cells (42) suggests that ribozymes can be used to selectively suppress the expression of one allele. Approx 25% of the collagen point mutations


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that cause OI also generate a novel ribozyme cleavage site. Thus, the mutation itself provides the target for mutant mRNA suppression (35). Recently, hammerhead ribozymes were employed to selectively cleave mutant type I collagen mRNAs in cell-free assays (43). Hammerhead ribozymes were designed to cleave synthetic transcripts of two naturally occurring human collagen mutations and a point mutation introduced into a murine knock-in construct. Only mutant targets were cleaved, whereas normal allele targets remained intact despite the presence of the complete binding site. However, a high ratio of ribozyme:substrate (5–10:1) was required to achieve a 50% ribozyme saturation, suggesting a low catalytic efficiency of ribozymes in vitro. This study also investigated the competitive effects of both total RNA and normal synthetic RNA on ribozyme cleavage activity. Cleavage was unaffected by the presence of total RNA in vast excess (500× ratio). However, the efficiency of cleavage was linearly inhibited by a noncleavable competitor substrate containing the same binding site present in the cleavable target. This competitive effect was eliminated by introducing a mismatch between one binding arm and the target, at some cost to cleavage efficiency of the mutant mRNA. These findings on the selective in vitro cleavage of mutant type I collagen RNAs are encouraging for future gene therapy approaches to OI. To further develop a gene therapy system for OI, a suitable animal model is required. Several murine models for OI have been reported (44–48). However, none of these models have the same molecular and biochemical characteristics as the typical human OI cases which harbor a nonlethal glycine substitution that occurs in a single copy in each cell under the control of the endogenous promoter. Investigations are currently underway to generate knock-in mice with various glycine substitutions (G160C, G211C and G349C) in the α1(I) collagen chains. In humans, these changes cause the clinically mild type I, moderate/severe type IV/III, and moderate type IV forms of OI, respectively. In addition to the OI-causing mutation, the murine alleles each contain a closely positioned silent base change which creates a ribozyme cleavage site (49). Future studies will test the efficiency and specificity of ribozyme cleavage in these OI mouse models. Khillan and co-workers demonstrated the partial rescue of a lethal OI mouse phenotype using an antisense strategy (50). In mice that expressed both an OI mini-gene and the antisense gene, the lethal phenotype was reduced from 92% to 27%. These findings are promising for a gene therapy approach to OI and highlight the potential of transgenic systems for testing antisense technologies in vivo. Transgenic expression systems bypass the problem of vector delivery and should produce a therapeutic effect in all of the target cells. To date, three studies have demonstrated successful transgenic expression of ribozymes in mouse models (51–53). Although transgenic systems are useful for testing the effectiveness of cleavage in cells, they are not practical in the human situation. Delivery of ribozymes to patients will require either a direct delivery or an ex vivo approach. For the ex vivo system, pre-osteoblast cells will

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need to be transduced with a ribozyme vector and then reintroduced back into the patient. Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into marrow stromal cells (MSCs) which in turn can become osteoblasts (54). Thus, mesenchymal stem cells and MSCs are reasonable targets for the gene therapy of OI. In one study, MSCs were detected in bone following injection into the distal abdominal aorta of mice (55). However, the efficiency of directly injected viral vectors to target bone has not been demonstrated. Gene therapy of OI is in its early stages of development and much more needs to be determined about such technology, its delivery and effectiveness in reducing bone fragility in OI patients. Nevertheless, potential gene therapy approaches such as the ribozyme systems have been initiated and should prove valuable for determining the short and long term effects of gene suppression on the OI phenotype.

Summary Osteogenesis imperfecta is a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders with phenotypes ranging from perinatal-lethal to mild. Defects in type I collagen are responsible for all forms of the disease. Qualitative defects alter the structure of type I collagen and cause all forms of OI, whereas quantitative defects of type I collagen are associated with the mild forms of the disease. Based on this knowledge, future gene therapy approaches which suppress mutant allele expression are expected to convert the severe forms of the disease to a biochemically equivalent of the mild type I form. Such treatments, in conjunction with conventional therapies, may ameliorate the severity of the disease.

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9. Kivirikko, K. I. and Myllyea, R. (1980) Hydroxylation of prolyl and lysyl residues, in The Enzymology of Post-translational Modification of Proteins (Freedman, R. B. and Hawkins, H. C., eds. ), Academic Press, London, p. 53. 10. Kivirikko, K. I. and Myllyea, R. (1979) Collagen glycosyltransferases. Int. Rev. Connect. Tissue 18, 23. 11. Byers, P. H., Wallis, G. A., and Willing, M. C. (1991) Osteogenesis imperfecta: Translation of mutation to phenotype. J. Med. Genet. 28, 433–442. 12. Wang, Q., Orrison, B., and Marini, J. C. (1993) Two additional cases of osteogenesis imperfecta with substitutions for glycine in the alpha-2(I) collagen chain—a regional model relating mutation location with phenotype. J. Biol. Chem. 268, 25,162–25,167. 13. Marini, J. C., Lewis, M. B., Wang, Q., Chen, K. J., and Orrison, B. M. (1993) Serine for glycine substitutions in type I collagen in two cases of type IV osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Additional evidence for a regional model of OI pathophysiology. J. Biol. Chem. 268, 2667–2673. 14. Mottes, M., Lira, M. M. G., Valli, M., Scarano, G., Lonardo, F., Forlino, A., Cetta, G., and Pignatti, P. F. (1993) Paternal mosaicism for a COL1A1 dominant mutation (α1 Ser-415) causes recurrent osteogenesis imperfecta. Hum. Mutat. 2, 196–204. 15. Sarafova, A. P., Choi, H., Forlino, A., Gajko, A., Cabral, W. A., Tosi, L., Reing, C. M., and Marini, J. C. (1998) Three novel type I collagen mutations in osteogenesis imperfecta type IV probands are associated with discrepancies between electrophoretic migration of osteoblast and fibroblast collagen. Hum. Mutat. 11, 395–403. 16. Ekman, O. (1788) Dissertatio medica descriptionem et casus aliquot osteomalaciae sistens. 17. Sykes, B., Ogilvie, D., Wordsworth, P., Wallis, G., Mathew, C., Beighton, P., et al. (1990) Consistent linkage of dominantly inherited osteogenesis imperfecta to the type I collagen loci: COL1A1 and COL1A2. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 46, 293–307. 18. Kuivaniemi, H., Tromp, G., and Prockop, D. J. (1997) Mutations in fibrillar collagens (types I, II, III, and XI), fibril-associated collagen (type IX), and network-forming collagen (type X) cause a spectrum of diseases of bone, cartilage, and blood vessels. Hum. Mutat. 9, 300–315. 19. Willing, M. C., Deschenes, S. P., Scott, D. A., Byers, P. H., Slayton, R. L., Pitts, S. H., Arikat, H., and Roberts, E. J. (1994) Osteogenesis imperfecta type I: molecular heterogeneity for COL1A1 null alleles of type I collagen. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 55, 638–647. 20. Korkko, J., Ala-Kokko, L., De Paepe, A., Nuytinck, L., Earley, J., and Prockop, D. J. (1998) Analysis of the COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes by PCR amplification and scanning by conformation-sensitive gel electrophoresis identifies only COL1A1 mutations in 15 patients with osteogenesis imperfecta type I: identification of common sequences of null-allele mutations. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 62, 98–110. 21. Lund, A. M., Nicholls, A. C., Schwartz, M., and Skovby, F. (1997) Parental mosaicism and autosomal dominant mutations causing structural abnormalities of collagen I are frequent in families with osteogenesis imperfecta type III/IV. Acta Paediatr. 86, 711–718. 22. De Paepe, A., Nuytinck, L., Raes, M., and Fryns, J.-P. (1997) Homozygosity by descent for a COL1A2 mutation in two sibs with severe osteogenesis imperfecta and mild clinical expression in the heterozygotes. Hum. Genet. 99, 478–483. 23. Pihlajaniemi, T., Dickson, L. A., Pope, F. M., Korhonen, V. R., Nicholls, A., Prockop, D. J., and Myers, J. C. (1984) Osteogenesis imperfecta: Cloning of a proα2(I) collagen gene with a frameshift mutation. J. Biol. Chem. 259, 12,941–12,944.

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24. Spotila, L. D., Constantinou, C. D., Sereda, L., Ganguly, A., Riggs, B. L., and Prockop, D. J. (1991) Mutation in a gene for type-I procollagen (COL1A2) in a woman with postmenopausal osteoporosis—evidence for phenotypic and genotypic overlap with mild osteogenesis imperfecta. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 5423–5427. 25. Pepin, M., Atkinson, M., Starman, B. J., and Byers, P. H. (1997) Strategies and outcomes of prenatal diagnosis for osteogenesis imperfecta: a review of biochemical and molecular studies completed in 129 pregnancies. Prenat. Diagn. 17, 559–570. 26. Wallis, G., Sykes, B., Byers, P. H., Mathew, C. H., Viljoen, D. and Beighton, P. (1986) Osteogenesis imperfecta type III: mutations in the type I collagen structural genes, COL1A1 and COL1A2, are not necessarily responsible. J. Med. Genet. 34, 492–496. 27. Aitchison, K., Ogilvie, D., Honeyman, M., Thompson, E., and Sykes, B. (1988) Homozygous osteogenesis imperfecta unlinked to collagen I genes. Hum. Genet. 78, 233–236. 28. Binder, H., Hawks, L., Graybill, G., Gerber, N. L., and Weintrob, J. C. (1984) Osteogenesis imperfecta: rehabilitation approach with infants and young children. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehab. 65, 537. 29. Gerber, L. H., Binder, H., Berry, R., Mizell, S., and Marini, J. C. (1998) Effects of withdrawal of bracing in matched pairs of children with osteogenesis imperfecta. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehab. 79, 46–51. 30. Reing, C. M. (1995) Report on new types of intramedullary rods and treatment effectiveness data for selection of intramedullary rodding in osteogenesis imperfecta. Conn. Tissue Res. 31, 1–10. 31. Marini, J. C., Bordenick, S., and Chrousos, G. P. (1995) Endocrine aspects of growth deficiency in OI. Conn. Tissue Res. 31, S55–S57. 32. Marini, J. C., Bordenick, S., Heavner, G., Rose, S. R., Rosenfeld, R. G., Hintz, R. L., and Chrousos, G. (1993) Evaluation of hormones related to growth in short children with osteogenesis imperfecta. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 76, 251–256. 33. Charnas, L. R. and Marini, J. C. (1995) Neurologic profile in osteogenesis imperfecta. Conn. Tissue Res. 31, S23–S26. 34. Wang, Q. and Marini, J. C. (1996) Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides selectively suppress expression of the mutant α2(I) collagen allele in type IV osteogenesis imperfecta fibroblasts. J. Clin. Invest. 97, 448–454. 35. Grassi, G. and Marini, J. C. (1996) Ribozymes: structure, function and potential therapy for dominant genetic disorders. Trends Mol. Med. 28, 499–510. 36. Rossi, J. (1995) Controlled, targeted, intracellular expression of ribozymes: progress and problems. Trends Biotechnol. 13, 301–306. 37. Sun, L., Pytati, J., Smythe, J., Wang, L., MacPherson, J., Gerlach, W., and Symonds, G. (1995) Resistance to human immunodeficiency virus type I infection conferred by transduction of human peripheral blood lymphocytes with ribozyme, antisense, or polymeric transactivation response element constructs. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 7272–7276. 38. Zhou, C., Bahner, I., Larson, G., Zaia, J., Rossi, J., and Kohn, D. (1994) Inhibition of HIV-1 in human T-lymphocytes by retrovirally transduced anti-TAT and REV hammerhead ribozymes. Gene 149, 3–39. 39. Tang, X., Hobom, G. and Lao, D. (1994) Ribozyme mediated destruction of influenza A virus in vitro and in vivo. J. Med. Virol. 42, 385–395. 40. Kilpatrick, M., Phylactou, L., Godfrey, M., Wu, C., Wu, G., and Tsipouras, P. (1996) Delivery of a hammerhead ribozyme specifically down-regulates the production of fibrillin-1 by cultured dermal fibroblasts. Hum. Mol. Genet. 5, 1939–1944.


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41. Montgomery, R. A. and Dietz, H. C. (1997) Inhibition of fibrillin 1 expression using U1 snRNA as a vehicle for the presentation of antisense targeting sequence. Hum. Mol. Genet. 6, 519–525. 42. Scherr, M., Grez, R., Ganser, A. and Engels, J. W. (1997) Specific hammerhead ribozyme-mediated cleavage of mutant N-ras mRNA in vitro and ex vivo: oligoribonucleotides as therapeutic agents. J. Biol. Chem. 272, 14,304–14,313. 43. Grassi, G., Forlino, A. and Marini, J. C. (1997) Cleavage of collagen RNA transcripts by hammerhead ribozymes in vitro is mutation-specific and shows competitive binding effects. Nucleic Acids Res. 25, 3451–3458. 44. Bonadio, J., Saunders, T., Tsai, E., Goldstein, S., Morris–Wiman, J., Brinkley, L., Dolan, D., Altschuler, R., Hawkins Jr, J., Bateman, J., Mascara, T., and Jaenish, R. (1990) Transgenic mouse model of the mild dominant form of osteogenesis imperfecta. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 7145–7148. 45. Schnieke, A., Harbers, K., and Jaenish, R. (1983) Embryonic lethal mutation in mice induced by retrovirus insertion into the α1(I) collagen gene. Nature 304, 315–320. 46. Chipman, S. D., Sweet, H. O., McBride Jr, D. J., Davisson, M. T., Marks Jr, S. C., Shuldiner, A. R., et al. (1993) Defective proα2(I) collagen synthesis in a recessive mutation in mice: a model of human osteogenesis imperfecta. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 1701–1705. 47. Khillan, J. S., Olsen, A. S., Kontusaari, S., Sokolov, B., and Prockop, D. J. (1991) Transgenic mice that express a mini–gene version of the human gene for type I procollagen (COL1A1) develop a phenotype resembling a lethal form of osteogenesis imperfecta. J. Biol. Chem. 266, 23,373–23,379. 48. Pereira, R., Khillan, J. S., Helminen, H. J., Hume, E. L., and Prockop, D. J. (1993) Transgenic mice expressing a partially deleted gene for type I procollagen (COL1A1). J. Clin. Invest. 91, 709–716. 49. Forlino, A., Porter, F. D., and Marini, J. C. (1998) Osteogenesis imperfecta murine models: Use of the cre/lox recombination system to create the first knock-in OI mouse. Eur. J. Hum. Genet. 6, C803. 50. Khillan, J., Li, S., and Prockop, D. J. (1994) Partial rescue of a lethal phenotype of fragile bones in transgenic mice with a chimeric antisense gene directed against a mutated collagen gene. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 6298–6302. 51. Efrat, S., Leiser, M., Wu, Y., Fusco-DeMane, D., Emran, O., Surana, M., et al. (1994) Ribozyme-mediated attenuation of pancreatic beta-cell glucokinase expression in transgenic mice results in impaired glucose-induced insulin-secretion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91, 2051–2055. 52. L’Huiller, P. J., Soulier, S., Stinnakre, M. G., Lepourry, L., Davis, S. R., Mercier, J. C., and Vilotte, J. L. (1996) Efficient and specific ribozyme-mediated reduction of bovine alpha–lactalbumin expression in double transgenic mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. US A 93, 6698–6703. 53. Larsson, S., Hotchkiss, G., Andang, M., Nyholm, T., Inzunza, J., Jansson, I., and AhrlundRichter, L. (1994) Reduced β2-microglobulin mRNA levels in transgenic mice expressing a designed hammerhead ribozyme. Nucleic Acids Res. 22, 2242–2248. 54. Bruder, S. P., Fink, D. J., and Caplan, A. I. (1994) Mesenchymal stem cells in bone development, bone repair, and skeletal regeneration therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 56, 283–294. 55. Mankani, M., Satomura, K., Kuznetsov, S., Krebsbach, P., Taylor, R., and Robey, P. (1997) Engraftment of marrow stromal fibroblasts. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, S205.

Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Type I and II

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Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Type I and Type II Sachiko Kitanaka and Shigeaki Kato Introduction Vitamin D is one of the fat-soluble vitamins, and the most biologically active form, calcitriol (1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3[1α, 25(OH)2D3]) plays a role in a variety of biological actions such as calcium homeostasis, cell proliferation, and cell differentiation in many target tissues (1–4). Calcitriol is a prime regulatory factor in bone formation and metabolism (3). Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, osteomalacia, and impaired calcium and phosphorous homeostasis (5). 1α,25(OH)2D3 is biosynthesized from cholesterol, or from vitamin D taken in from the diet. At the final steps of the vitamin D biosynthesis, two hydroxylations (hepatic 25-hydroxylation and renal 1α-hydroxylation) occur for its metabolic activation into a hormonal form (1,3,6). Renal 1α-hydroxylation of 25(OH)D3 is crucial for the biosynthesis of the active hormone, 1α,25(OH)2D3, and is conducted by 25(OH)D3 1α-hydroxylase [1α(OH)ase] in the proximal tubule of the kidney (7). 1α,25(OH)2D3 specifically binds to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), and activates its transactivation function to regulate the expression of a particular set of the target genes. Mutations in the 1α(OH)ase gene are recently shown to result in vitamin D-dependent rickets type I (VDDR I), also known as pseudovitamin D-deficient rickets(PDDR) (8). Mutations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) result in vitamin D-dependent rickets type II (VDDR II), also known as hypocalcemic vitamin D-resistant rickets (HVDRR) (9).

Phenotypic Manifestations of VDDR I and VDDR II VDDR I is an autosomal recessive disorder, and the clinical course is similar to that of nutritional rickets due to simple vitamin D deficiency (10). Affected children appear normal at birth, and the first symptoms usually appear within the The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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first to second year of life. Muscle weakness, growth retardation, and bone deformity are common manifestations. In some patients, the initial event is convulsions or tetany. Laboratory findings include hypocalcemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and aminoaciduria. Levels of 25(OH)D are normal or elevated, whereas levels of 1,25(OH)2D are low (5). Although pharmacologic doses of vitamin D or 25(OH)D can be used to treat the disorder, physiological doses of calcitriol are sufficient to treat the disorder (11). These laboratory and therapeutic findings on vitamin D metabolites suggested that 25(OH)D3 1α-hydroxylase is defective in VDDR I patients. VDDR II is also inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, and the clinical features are almost identical to those in VDDR I with the exception that VDDR II has been associated with alopecia in about two-thirds of the kindreds. VDDR II is distinguished from VDDR I in that serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D are high, and that they do not respond to physiological doses of calcitriol (5). These findings lead to the hypothesis that these individuals are resistant to calcitriol. This hypothesis was supported by the findings that cells isolated from VDDR II patients exhibit lack of physiological response to calcitriol (12). The clinical presentation and therapeutic response in VDDR II show a marked heterogeneity. The onset of their symptoms are usually before 2 yr of age, however, late onset (in their teens to adults) was reported in several sporadic cases (13). Alopecia varies from sparse hair to total alopecia without eyelashes, and this seems to be a marker of a more severe form of the disease. Patients with normal hair usually respond to pharmacological doses of vitamin D or calcitriol, however, only about half of the patients with alopecia have shown calcemic response even to higher doses of calcitriol. Most severe patients who are refractory to treatment with high doses of calcitriol require long-term intravenous calcium infusions (14). Life-long therapy is usually required, although sporadic cases of remissions maintained off therapy have been described (15). Even if osteomalacia and the biochemical parameters in patients with alopecia respond to the treatments, none has shown improvement of hair growth.

Molecular Mechanism of Vitamin D Actions 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-Hydroxylase Acting as Key Enzyme in Vitamin D Synthesis The precursor of vitamin D, 7-dehydrocholesterol, is biosynthesized from cholesterol, then converted into vitamin D3 by UV light in the skin. Vitamin D is also ingested from the diet, as vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) mainly from plants, and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) from animals (16). A hormonal form of vitamin D, 1α,25(OH)2D3, is metabolically formed through two steps of hydroxylation at the final stage (Fig. 1). First, vitamin D is hydroxylated in the liver to 25dihydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D3], which is subsequently hydroxylated in the kidney to 1α,25(OH)2D3 (1,3,6,7). For metabolic inactivation of 25(OH)D3, or


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Fig. 1. Rickets related to vitamin D. The biosynthesis pathway of 1α,25(OH)2D3 and the mode of 1α,25(OH)2D3 action are illustrated. The defects in these process cause rickets. Nutritional vitamin D deficiency, and the defect of the renal 1α(OH)ase activity by genetic mutations(vitamin D-dependent rickets type I; VDDRI patients) result in short supply of active vitamin D. The mutated VDR in the vitamin D dependent rickets type II( VDDRII) patients is unable to respond to 1α,25(OH)2D3, resulting in the rickets.

1α,25(OH)2D3, the 24-hydroxylation to form 24,25(OH)2D3 or 1α,24,25(OH)3D3, is the first step in degradation of vitamin D (17). The serum level of 1α,25(OH)2D3 is kept constant in the normal state, and is regulated in response to factors controlling calcium homeostasis. The regulation of 1α,25(OH)2D3 and 24, 25(OH)2D3 production by these factors is conducted by altering the activities of the enzymes that hydroxylate vitamin D derivatives. Vitamin D3-25-hydroxylase(CYP27) catalyzes hepatic 25-hydroxylation (18,19), and renal 1-hydroxylation is catalyzed by 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxyla se[1α(OH)ase]. 24-Hydroxylation of vitamin D metabolites is catalyzed by 25(OH)D3-24-hydroxylase (CYP24) (20,21). As 1α,25(OH)2D3 plays a primary role in calcium homeostasis, the renal activity of 1α(OH)ase is positively regulated by calcitropic hormones, respond-

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ing to serum calcium levels. 1α,25(OH)2D3 has been well characterized as a negative regulator for the renal activity of 1α(OH)ase (22,23). High serum phosphate and calcium also reduce the renal activity of 1α(OH)ase (7,24). A study using VDR knock-out mice, the murine model of VDDR type 2, demonstrated that 1α,25(OH)2D3 negatively regulates 1α(OH)ase at the transcriptional level, and this negative regulation requires the liganded-VDR (25). These findings led us to suspect that a negative vitamin D response element (VDRE) exists in the promoter of the 1α(OH)ase gene (Fig. 2), leading to identification of the regulatory regions in the human and rat 1α(OH)ase gene promoters (26). In contrast, calcitropic hormones such as calcitonin and PTH are known to induce the activity of 1α(OH)ase (27). Cyclic AMP mediates this positive regulation by PTH, suggesting involvement of the protein kinase A signaling pathway (28) in this process. These positive regulations are also recently proved to occur by transcriptional induction of renal 1α-hydroxylase gene (29,30).

Vitamin D Transcriptionally Regulates Gene Expression Through VDR Most of the biological actions of 1α, 25(OH)2D3 are thought to be exerted through gene expression mediated by the VDR (Fig. 3) (2,4,31,32). VDR is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily and acts as a ligand-inducible transcription factor (2,4,33). 1α,25(OH)2D3 is a most potent form of vitamin D and acts as a specific ligand for VDR. Upon binding to a specific DNA enhancer element, the so-called vitamin D response element (VDRE), VDR forms homodimer or heterodimer with one of three RXRs (RXRa, RXRb, RXRg). These RXRs derived distinct genes are functionally identical to act as a partner receptor for many nuclear receptors in heterodimerization. Though 9-cis retinoic acid binds to RXRs, the physiological role of its RXR binding is unclear in most heterodimers (Fig. 4) (34). Several types of naturally occurring VDREs have been found in the promoters of vitamin D target genes. Systematic sequence analysis of these VDREs and the comparison of VDREs with the response elements for the other members of nuclear receptors led us to identify a consensus VDRE (cVDRE) (31,35). Like the response elements for all-trans retinoic acid receptor(RAR), RXR, thyroid receptor (TR), peroxisome proliferatoractivator receptor (PPAR), cVDRE is composed of two AGGTCA core motifs. The space between two motifs in cVDRE is 3 bp (the 3bp sequence is not specific), and this space appears to discriminate VDR/RXR heterodimer from the other heterodimers in DNA binding. For the transactivation function of VDR, both the ligand binding and DNA binding, is prerequisite. In the nucleus, VDR forms a transcriptional unit with the basal transcription machinery and putative cotranscriptional mediators (Fig. 3). As the transactivation function of VDR is ligand-dependent, two classes of transcriptional mediators, coactivator and corepressors, are speculated to be involved in transactivation, and indeed several coactivators for VDR, like the SRC1/TIF2 family proteins and CBP/p300, have recently been identified (32,36).


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Fig. 2. A proposed molecular mechanism of regulations of 1α,25(OH)2D3 biosynthesis by 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase and 25(OH)D3-24-hydroxylase. A negative VDRE has been identified in the promoter of the human 1α(OH)ase gene. The positive VDRE has been identified in the promoter of the 25(OH)D3-24hydroxylase gene.

Most of vitamin D actions are considered through VDR-mediated genomic actions. In addition, a nongenomic action is also postulated to be exerted through an unknown cell membrane receptor(s), which induces rapid cellular biological events in response to vitamin D (1,3,37). Systematic studies have demonstrated that there are structure-function differences of vitamin D derivatives in their genomic actions and nongenomic actions (1,3,37). However, the physiological significance of the nongenomic action remains unknown in the biological actions of vitamin D.

Molecular Bases of Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Mutations in the 1α-Hydroxylase Gene Cause Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Type I Genetic defects in the enzymes responsible for biosynthesis of 1α,25(OH)2D3 evoke vitamin D deficiency due to lack of 1α,25(OH)2D3 production. 1α(OH)ase plays a crucial role in 1α,25(OH)2D3 biosynthesis, so that mutation in the 1α(OH)ase gene resulting in loss of its enzymatic activity is a cause of hereditary rickets. A group

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Fig. 3. Schema of molecular mechanism of vitamin D actions through VDRmediated gene expression.

of hereditary rickets patients exhibiting low serum levels of 1α,25(OH)2D3, referred to as vitamin D dependency type I(VDDR I) (5,10,11), have been considered to be caused by mutation in the 1α(OH)ase gene. Indeed, inactivating mutations in the 1α(OH)ase gene have been identified in the VDDR I patients by us (8) and others (38). It was thus established at the molecular level that the 1α(OH)ase gene is responsible for VDDR I. To date, various mutations in this gene have been identified spreading over all exons (Fig. 5) (8,38–40) .

Mutations inVDR Gene Cause Hereditary Type II Rickets In contrast to type I hereditary rickets, the other group of hereditary rickets patients(vitamin D dependency type II : VDDR II) do not respond to physiological doses of 1α,25(OH)2D3. The genetic analysis of VDDR II patients identified mutations in the human VDR gene causing loss of the VDR function as a ligandinducible transcriptional factor (41,42). Several missense mutations in the DNA binding domain (DBD) of the VDR are reported and these mutations, which do not affect binding of 1,25(OH)2D3, cause decreased receptor affinity for DNA. Such mutant proteins are found to be totally transcriptionally inactive. Alternatively, mutations in the ligand binding


101 Fig. 4. Schematic structure of VDR. Schematic structure of VDR and RXRs, and their ligands are illustrated.

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Fig. 5. Mutation in the 1α-hydroxylase gene identified in patients with VDDR I. The exons are numbered missense mutations are indicated above, and nonsense mutations, a splicing mutation, deletions, and duplications are indicated below the diagram. (Adapted from ref. 8,38–40.)

domain (LBD) result in inability to bind the hormone. Although the most common nonsense mutation, Tyr295Stop, shows no ligand binding and is transcripionally inactive, some missense mutants have some transcriptional activity to the increased concentration of 1α25(OH)2D3. A missense mutation in the hormone binding domain resulting in defect of heterodimerization with RXR have been also reported (43). It appears that DBD mutations or premature stop mutations generally result in alopecia or hair loss, whereas, although only a few cases have been studied, patients with LBD mutations do not appear to develop alopecia. Thus, the type of mutation in the VDR gene seems to be related to the severity of the phenotype. The biochemical and genetic analysis of the VDR in patients with VDDR II has provided important insights into the function of the receptor and useful information on the diagnostic and clinical management of this rare disease.

VDR KO Mice as Animal Model of Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets Type II As the molecular basis of the actions of 1α, 25(OH)2D3 remained only partially known, we generated mice deficient of VDR(VDR KO mice) by gene targeting in order to investigate the function of VDR in vivo. A null mutation of the VDR gene in mice indeed caused rickets with typical features such as growth retardation, impaired bone formation, hypocalcemia, and alopecia, which are seen in VDDR II patients (44,45). The VDR KO mice are animal models of VDDR II.

Phenotype of the VDR KO Mice The VDR KO(VDR–/–) mice did not differ from the heterozygous(VDR+/–) or wild-type(VDR+/+) littermates in growth rate (Fig. 6A) or behavior, and seemed


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Fig. 6. Phenotypes of the VDR–/– mice: (A) Representative growth curve of wildtype (shaded circles), heterozygote (half shaded circles), and homozygote (open circles) littermates; (B) Survival rate of 43 VDR–/– mice.

functionally normal after birth until weaning. No bone malformation or overt phenotypic abnormalities were seen in the VDR–/– fetuses. However, after weaning (about 3 wk), the VDR KO mice showed marked growth retardation, and the body weight of the null mutant mice at 6 wk was about 50 % of those of the heterozygous and wildtype mice (Fig. 6A). After weaning the VDR KO mice developed rickets, and most of them died by 15 wk due to an unknown reasons (Fig. 6B). However, no overt abnormalities were found in the heterozygotes even at 6 mo. In addition to rickets by 7 wk, all of the VDR KO mice developed alopecia and poor whiskers and most of them displayed flat face with shorter nose. In the KO mice at 7 and 13 wk, no apparent abnormalities were found by histological analysis in the VDR-expressing tissues other than bone and skin, including the intestine, kidney, brain, and spleen. Most interestingly, dietary supplementation of calcium and phophorus recovered the abnormalities except alopecia in the VDR KO mice, and they survived more than 6 mo. The observations in the VDR KO mice by us and the others (44,45) are similar to a VDDR type II (10). These patients exhibit rickets with hypocalcemia,

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Fig. 7. Analyses of endocrine indicators in wild-type (shaded circles), heterozygote (half shaded circles), and homozygote (open circles) mice. Serum levels of Calcium, Phosphate and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the left panel. Results are expressed as means ±SE for 4 samples. *Significantly different from the wild-type mice. Concentrations of serum vitamin D metabolites in the right panel. Results are the means for two determinations.

hypophosphatemia, and elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP). In the VDR KO mice, such typical features of the rickets in serum parameters were seen only after weaning, but not before it (Fig. 7). The serum level of 1α, 25(OH)2D3 is strictly regulated. Several enzymes, which are regulated by several factors including 1α, 25(OH)2D3, are involved in synthesis and metabolism of 1α, 25(OH)2D3 (7). The activities of 25(OH)D 1α-hydroxylase and 24-hydroxylase are regulated negatively and positively, respectively, by 1α, 25(OH)2D3. In the VDR KO mice at 3 wk, the serum levels of 1α, 25(OH)2D, 24, 25(OH)2D, and 25(OH)D were the same as those in the heterozygous and wild-type mice (Fig. 7). However, a marked increase in serum 1α, 25(OH)2D, and a clear reduction in serum 24, 25(OH)2D developed in the VDR KO mice at 4 wk and persisted at 7 wk. These changes in serum vitamin D are comparable to the VDDR II patients. These findings also predicted increased activity of 25(OH)D 1α-hydroxylase and reduced activity of 24-hydroxylase.


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Indeed, from the VDR KO mice, we cloned the cDNA encoding mouse 25(OH)D 1α-hydroxylase by a newly developed expression cloning method (25). These observations establish that the 1α, 25(OH)2D3-VDR system plays a critical role only after weaning.

Loss of VDR Affected Cell Numbers of Chondrocytes, but Not Those of Osteoblasts or Osteoclasts, in VDR KO Mice After weaning, severe malformation induced by loss of VDR was detected in bone. Radiographic analysis of the VDR KO mice at 7 wk revealed growth retardation with loss of bone density. In gross appearance and on X-ray analysis of tibia and fibula, typical features of advanced rickets were observed including widening of epiphyseal growth plates, thinning of the cortex, fraying, cupping, and widening of the metaphysis (Fig. 8). In addition, the normal orderly columns of hypertrophic chondrocytes were lost and the layers of cartilage were widened with inadequate mineralization. In cancellous bone adjacent to the growth plates, marked increases in the extent and the width of osteoid seams were noted (consistent with osteomalacia), and bone surfaces were surrounded by numerous osteoblastic cells (Fig. 8). Interestingly, the numbers of osteoclasts and osteoblasts appeared to be normal in the bone from the VDR null mutant mice. Dietary supplement of calcium to the VDR KO mice significantly rescued the impaired mineralizaion in bone, however, the malformation in the cartilage was not recovered (N. Yagishita et al., unpublished results). These findings indicate that 1α, 25(OH)2D3 can stimulate, but is not essential for osteoclast formation in vivo, and that another factor(s) can induce the osteoclast formation in the absence of the 1α, 25(OH)2D3 actions. Mineralization in bone appears to depend on the levels of serum calcium and the other minerals. In contrast to oestoblasts and osteoclasts, chondrocytes may be one of direct target cells for 1α, 25(OH)2D3.

Lessons from VDR KO Mice Molecular Basis for Hereditary Rickets Type II By generating the VDR KO mice, we showed here that the 1α, 25(OH)2D3-VDR system is essential for growth, bone formation, and hair development only after weaning. The phenotype of the VDR KO mice was similar to a human recessive genetic disease, VDDR II, providing experimental evidence that the VDR gene is responsible for VDDR II.

Actions of Vitamin D on Bone Formation and Metabolism As previously reported in rickets patients and animals in a vitamin D deficiency, loss of VDR caused impaired bone formation. However, it is notable that the onset of the rickets is only after weaning in the VDR KO mice, unlike in the hereditary type II patients. The fact may indicate a possible presence of the substitute for vitamin D in milk. One possible substitute could be calcium, which is abundant especially in rodent milk. In this respect, it is interesting that dietary

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106 Kitanaka and Kato Fig. 8. Histological analysis of the bone of VDR knockout mice and normal control littermate. a, Villaneuva-Goldner staining of proximal tibia metaphysis in mice at 3 wk (upper panels) and 7 wk (lower panels). Wild-type, +/+, homozygote, –/–.


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supplementation of calcium to VDR KO mice significantly recovers the impaired mineralization in bone. However, the disordered proliferation and differentiation of chondrocyte in the VDR KO mice could not be significantly restored by this dietary calcium supplementation (N.Yagishita, et al., unpublished result). Such responses to dietary calcium in the skeletal tissue are also seen in the hereditary type II patients. Thus, it is most likely that action of vitamin D on the mineralization in the bone tissue is indirect, possibly mediated through serum minerals. Thus, from these findings, we speculate that the 1α, 25(OH)2D3-VDR system is more important for the cell proliferation and differentiation of chondrocyte, than osteoclasts and osteoclast differentiation. In contrast to the bone, alopecia in the VDR KO mice was not recovered by the dietary calcium, suggesting that the action of vitamin D in the hair follicle is direct, and not mediated through serum calcium. To better understand the actions of vitamin D in such target tissues, and the pathogenesis of the hereditary type II patients, tissue-specific inactivation of VDR in bone, intestine, skin, and the major target tissues is clearly required. These studies by means of the conditional KO system are currently underway in our laboratory.

Summary Vitamin D plays a role in a wide variety of biological events such as calcium homeostasis, bone formation, and cellular differentiation. The active form of vitamin D, 1α,25(OH)2D3, is biosynthesized from cholesterol. The final, critical step in this biosynthesis is conversion from 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to 1α,25(OH)2D3 by the enzyme 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase, which will be referred to as 1α(OH)ase. 1α,25(OH)2D3 transcriptionally controls the expression of a particular set of target genes through VDR, thereby exerting its biological actions. Two kinds of vitamin D dependent hereditary rickets are known to be caused by genetic mutations. Mutations of the 1α(OH)ase gene and the VDR gene have been identified as causes of vitamin D dependent rickets type I and type II, respectively. Both of the diseases display an autosomal recessive trait, but clinical features and response to administrated 1α,25(OH)2D3 are distinct. The phenotypes of the VDR KO mice, an animal model of the type II rickets, are also described to understand the defects in the hereditary rickets type II patients.

References 1. Bouillon, R., Okamura, W. H., and Norman, A. W. (1995) Structure–functional relationships in the vitamin D endocrine system. Endocr. Rev. 16, 200–257. 2. Studzinski, G. P., McLane, J. A., and Uskokovic, M. R. (1993) Signaling pathways for vitamin D–induced differentiation: implications for therapy of proliferative and neoplastic diseases. Crit. Rev. Eukaryot. Gene Exp. 3, 279–312. 3. Walters, M. R. (1992) Newly identified actions of the vitamin D endocrine system. Endocr. Rev. 13, 719–764.

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4. Darwish, H. and DeLuca, H. F. (1993) Vitamin D-regulated gene expression. Crit. Rev. Eukaryot. Gene Exp. 3, 89–116. 5. Scriver, C. R., Reade, T. M., DeLuca, H. F., and Hamstra, A. J. (1978) Serum 1,25– dihydroxyvitamin D levels in normal subjects and in patients with hereditary rickets or bone disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 299, 976–979. 6. Kato S., Yanagisawa J., Murayama A., Kitanaka S., and Takeyama K. (1998) The importance of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α–hydroxylase gene in vitamin D-dependent rickets. Curr. Opin. Nephrol. Hypertens. 7, 377–383. 7. Fraser, D. R. (1980) Regulation of the metabolism of vitamin D. Physiol. Rev. 60, 551–613. 8. Kitanaka, S., Takeyama, K., Murayama, A., Sato, T., Okumura, K., Nogami, M., et al. (1998) Inactivating mutations in the human 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxlase gene in patients with pseudovitamin D-deficient rickets. N. Engl. J. Med. 338, 653–661. 9. Hughes, M. R., Malloy, P. J., Kieback, D. G., Kesterson, R. A., Pike, J. W., Feldman, D., and O’Malley, B. W. (1988) Point mutations in the human vitamin D receptor associated with hypocalcemic rickets. Science 242, 1702–1705. 10. Demay, M. B. (1995) Hereditary defects in vitamin D metabolism and vitamin D receptor defects, in Endocrinology. Vol. 2., 3rd ed. (DeGroot, L. J., Besser, M., Burger, H. G., et al. eds.), pp. 1173–1178 . 11. Fraser, D., Kooh, S. W., Kind, H. P., et al. (1973) Pathogenesis of hereditary vitamin D-dependent rickets: An inborn error of vitamin D metabolism involving defective conversion of 25-hydroxyvitamin D to 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. N. Engl. J. Med. 289, 817–822. 12. Gamblin, G. T., Liberman, U. A., Eil, C., et al. (1985) Vitamin D-dependent rickets type II: Defective induction of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-24-hydroxylase by 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D in cultured skin fibroblasts. J. Clin. Invest. 75, 954–960. 13. Brooks, M. H., Bell, N. H., Love, L., Stern, P. H., Ordei, E., Queener, S. J., Hamstra, A. J., and Deluca, H. F. (1978) Vitamin D dependent rickets type II, resistance of target organs to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. N. Engl. J. Med. 293, 996–999. 14. Balsan, S., Garabedian, M., Larchet, M., et al. (1986) Long-term nocturnal calcium infusions can cure rickets and promote normal mineralization in hereditary resistance to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. J. Clin. Invest. 77, 1661–1667. 15. Takeda, E., Yokota, I., Kawakami, I., et al. (1989) Two siblings with vitamin D-dependent rickets type II: no recurrence of rickets for 14 years after cessation of therapy. Eur. J. Pediatr. 149, 54–57. 16. DeLuca, H. F. and Schnoes, H. K. (1976) Metabolism and action of vitamin D. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 45, 631–666. 17. Holick, M. F., Schnoes, H. K., DeLuca, H. F., Gray, R. W., Boyle, I. T., and Suda, T. (1972) Isolation and identification of 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, a metabolite of vitamin D3 made in the kidney. Biochemistry 11, 4251–4255. 18. Su, P., Rennert, H., Shayiq, R. M., Yamamoto, R., Zheng, Y. M., Addya, S., Strauss, J. F. 3d., and Avadhani, N. G. (1990) A cDNA encoding a rat mitochondrial cytochrome P450 catalyzing both the 26–hydroxylation of cholesterol and 25-hydroxylation of vitamin D3: gonadotropic regulation of the cognate mRNA in ovaries. DNA Cell Biol. 9, 657–667. 19. Usui, E., Noshiro, M., and Okuda, K. (1990) Molecular cloning of cDNA for vitamin D3 25-hydroxylase from rat liver mitochondria. FEBS Lett. 262, 135–138.


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20. Ohyama, Y. and Okuda, K. (1991) Isolation and characterization of a cytochrome P-450 from rat kidney mitochondria that catalyzes the 24-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. J. Biol. Chem. 266, 8690–8695. 21. Chen, K.-S. and DeLuca, H. F. (1995) Cloning of the human 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 24-hydroxylase gene promoter and identification of two vitamin D-responsive elements. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1269, 1–9. 22. Henry, H. L., Midgett, R. J., and Norman, A. W. Studies on calciferol metabolism (1974) Regulation of 25-hydroxvitamin D3-1α-hydroxlase, in vivo. J. Biol. Chem. 249, 7584–7592. 23. Henry, H. L. (1979) Regulation of the hydroxylation of 25-hydroxvitamin D3 in vivo and in primary cultures of chick kidney cells. J. Biol. Chem. 254, 2722–2729. 24. Portale, A. A., Halloran, B. P., and Morris, Jr. R. C. (1989) Physiologic regulation of the serum concentration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D by phosphorus in normal men. J. Clin. Invest. 83, 1494–1499. 25. Takeyama, K., Kitanaka, S., Sato, T., Kobori, M., Yanagisawa, J., and Kato, S. (1997) 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxlase and vitamin D synthesis. Science 277, 1827–1830. 26. Murayama, A., Takeyama, K., Kitanaka, S., Kodera, Y., Hosoya, T., and Kato, S. (1998) The promoter of the human 25-hydorxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase gene confers positive and negative responsiveness to PTH, calcitonin, and 1α,25(OH)2 D3. Bioche. Biophys. Res. Commun. 249, 11–16, 27. Booth, B. E., Tsai, H. C., and Morris, R. C. (1985) Vitamin D status regulates 25- hydroxvitamin D3-1-alpha-hydroxlase and its responsiveness to parathyroid hormone in the chick. J. Clin. Invest. 75, 155–161. 28. Henry, H. L. and Luntao, E. M. (1989) Interactions between intracellular signals involved in the regulation of 25-hydroxvitamin D3 metabolism. Endocrinology 124, 2228–2234. 29. Murayama, A., Takeyema, K., Kitanaka, S., Kodera, Y., Kawaguchi, Y., Hososya, T., and Kato, S. (1999) Positive and negative regulations of the renal 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α–hydroxylase gene by parathyroid hormone, calcitonin and 1α,25(OH)2D3 in intact animals. Endocrinology 140, 2224–2231. 30. Brenza, H., Kimmel-Jehan, C., Jehan, F., Shinki, T., Wakino, S., Anazawa, M., Suda, T., and DeLuca H. F. (1998) Parathyroid hormone activation of the rat 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1α-hydroxylase gene promoter. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 1387–1391. 31. Ebihara, K., Masuhiro, Y., Kitamoto, T. et al. (1996) Intron retention generates a novel isoform of the murine vitamin D receptor that acts in a dominant negative way on the vitamin D signaling pathway. Mol. Cell. Biol. 16, 3393–3400 . 32. Yanagisawa, J., Yanagi, Y., Masuhiro, Y., Suzawa, M., Toriyabe, T., Kashiwagi, K., Watanabe, M., Kawabata, M., Miyazono, K., Kato, S. (1999) Convergence of TGFb and vitamin D signaling pathways on SMAD proteins acting as common transcriptional co-activators. Science 283, 1317–1321. 33. Mangelsdorf, D. J. and Evans, R. M. (1995) The RXR heterodimers and orphan receptors. Cell 83, 841–850 . 34. Kato, S., Sasaki, H., Suzawa, M., Masushige, S., Tora, L., Chambon, P., and Gronemeyer, H. (1995) Widely spaced, directly repeated PuGGTCA elements act as promiscuous enhancers for different classes of nuclear receptors. Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 5858–5867.

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35. Freedman, L. P., Arce, V., and Fernandez, R. P. (1994) DNA sequences that act as high affinity targets for the vitamin D3 receptor in the absence of the retinoid X receptor. Mol. Endocrinol. 8, 265–273 . 36. Horwitz, K. B., Jackson, T. A., Bain, D. L., Richer, J. K., Takimoto, G. S., and Tung L. (1996) Nuclear receptor coactivators and corepressors. Mol. Endocrinol. 10, 1167–1177. 37. Norman, A. W., Roth, J., and Orchi, L. (1982) The vitamin D endocrine system:steroid metabolism, hormone receptors, and biological response (calcium binding proteins). Endocr. Rev. 3, 331–366. 38. Fu, G. K., Lin, D., Ahang, M. Y. H. et al. (1997) Cloning of human 25– hydroxyvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase and mutaitons causing vitamin D–dependent rickets type I. Mol. Endocrinol. 11, 1961–1970. 39. Wang, J. T., Lin, D., Burridge, S. M., et al. (1998) Genetics of vitamin D 1α–hydroxylase deficiency in 17 families. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 63, 1694–1702. 40. Kitanaka, S., Murayama, A., Sakai, T., Inouye, K., Seino, Y., Fukumoto, S., et al. (1999) No enzyme activity of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase gene product in pseudovitamin D deficiency rickets, including that with mild clinical manifiestation. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 84, 4111–4117. 41.Malloy, P. J., Hochberg, Z., Tiosano, D., Pike, J. W., Hughes, M. R., and Feldman, D. (1990) The molecular basis of hereditary1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 resistant rickets in seven related families. J. Clin. Invest. 86, 2071–2079. 42. Malloy, P. J., Pike, J. W., and Feldman, D. (1997) Hereditary 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D resistant rickets, in Vitamin D (Feldman, D., Glorieux, F. H., and Pike, J. W. eds.) Academic Press, San Diego, CA, pp. 765–787. 43. Whitefield, G. K., Selznick, S. H., Haussler, C. A., et al. (1996) Vitamin D receptors from patients with resistance to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3: point mutations confer reduced transactivation in response to ligand and impaired interaction with the retinoid X receptor heterodimeric partner. Mol. Endocrinol. 10, 1617–1631. 44. Yoshizawa, T., Handa, Y., Uemasu, Y., Takeda, S., Sekine, K., Yoshihara, Y., Kawakami, T., Arioka, K., Sato, H., Uchiyama, Y., Masushige, S., Fukamizu, A., Matsumoto, T., and Kato, A. (1997) Impaired bone formation and uterine hypoplasia with growth retardation after weaning in mice lacking the vitamin D receptor. Nat. Genet. 16, 391–396. 45. Li, Y.C., Pirro, A. E., Amling, M., Delling, G., Baron, R., Bronson, R., and Demay, M.B. (1997) Targeted ablation of the vitamin D receptor: an animal model of vitamin D-dependent rickets type II with alopecia. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94, 9831–9835.

Inherited Phosphate Wasting Disorders

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CHAPTER 7

Inherited Phosphate Wasting Disorders Michael J. Econs and Kenneth E. White Introduction There are several hereditary disorders of isolated phosphate wasting that have been described. These include X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH); autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR); hypophosphatemic bone disease (HBD), and hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH). Phosphate wasting is also a predominant feature of disorders that result from mutations in the CLCN5 gene, however, these disorders are covered in Chapter 8. The large number of hereditary renal phosphate wasting disorders indicates that control over renal phosphate homeostasis is a complex process. Investigators are starting to find genes that when mutated result in renal phosphate wasting. The discovery of these genes provides insights into phosphate homeostasis and helps to elucidate the pathophysiology of these disorders. Additionally, in some instances, the isolation of a disease gene allows clinicians to combine what were previously thought to be distinct disorders into one disorder.

X-Linked Hypophosphatemic Rickets X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH) is the most common form of hereditary renal phosphate wasting with a prevalence of approx 1:20,000 (1). The hallmark of this disease is isolated renal phosphate wasting with inappropriately normal calcitriol concentrations. An osteoblast defect has also been proposed to contribute to impaired mineralization in the disorder (see below). Classically, patients present with lower extremity deformities, rickets, growth retardation, bone pain, tooth abscesses, enthesopathy (calcification of tendons, ligaments, and joint capsule), and osteomalacia (2,3). Severely affected individuals may also display cranial abnormalities (4) and spinal stenosis (5–7). However, the severity of the disease is variable and affected members of the same family, who have the same genetic defect, may have markedly The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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different phenotypes. Despite hypophosphatemia, weakness is not a predominant feature of the disease although patients do complain of weakness more than controls (8). XLH is an X-linked dominant disorder (9), and although controversy exists regarding whether there is a gene dosage effect, the available evidence suggests that males and females are affected equally (10). Much of our understanding of the pathophysiology of XLH has been derived from the two mouse models, the Hyp and Gy mice. In accord with the human disease, these mice have renal phosphate wasting, impaired mineralization and growth retardation (11,12). The Gy mouse also has inner ear abnormalities, deafness, hyperactivity, and circling behavior (12). Linkage studies mapped the two mutations to a region of the mouse X chromosome that is syntenic to the human HYP locus (13,14). As with the human disease there does not appear to be a marked difference in severity between male and female Hyp mice (15), however, less data is available for the Gy. The etiology of the phosphate wasting defect has been examined in the Hyp mouse. This defect has been directly demonstrated in the brush border membrane of the renal proximal tubule (16). More recent studies demonstrate that the phosphate wasting in the proximal tubule is due to a defect in the high affinity/low capacity sodium dependent phosphate cotransport system (17). This transporter (Npt-2) has been cloned for both the human [/NPT-2, (18) /] and mouse [/Npt-2 (19) /]. The murine Hyp and Gy mutations result in an approx 50% decrease in NPT-2 mRNA and protein (20,21). Since human NPT-2 is located on chromosome 5q35 it is not a candidate gene for HYP (22). However, the data suggest that the HYP gene is involved in regulation of NPT-2 expression and/or turnover. Despite these results is was unclear as to whether the phosphate wasting results from a primary renal defect or whether the phosphate wasting is the result of elaboration of a humoral factor that alters phosphate transport in the renal proximal tubule. In this regard, Meyer et al. performed parabiosis experiments using Hyp and normal mice (23). In these experiments mice are surgically joined together and vascular channels are allowed to develop between the animals, resulting in cross circulation between them. Normal mice joined to Hyp mice had a progressive reduction in plasma phosphate over three weeks and a greater renal phosphate excretion index than normal mice joined to other normal mice. Furthermore, after separating the normal/Hyp pairs, plasma phosphate returned to normal in the normal mouse within 24 hr and after 2 and 7 d these normal mice had “rebound hyperphosphatemia” as compared to mice separated from normal/normal pairs (23). These results were not dependent on PTH since similar results were obtained in thyro-parathyroidectomized mice (24). Since parabiosis experiments have significant limitations, Nesbitt et al. (25) performed renal cross transplantation between Hyp and normal mice. They found that when normal kidneys were transplanted into nephrectomized Hyp mice the kidneys wasted phosphorus. When Hyp kidneys were transplanted into nephrectomized normal mice the kidneys retained phosphorus normally. Thus, the defect in the Hyp mouse is


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neither corrected nor transferred by renal cross transplantation indicating that the phosphate transport defect in the Hyp mouse is not due to an intrinsic renal abnormality. The aforementioned studies demonstrate that the defect in the Hyp mouse, and probably in the human disease, is not in the kidney. However, they do not establish which tissues are defective. Some investigators have focused on the osteoblast since there is a mineralization defect in the Hyp mouse. Ecarot et al. (26,27) transplanted periostea and osteoblasts from normal and Hyp mice into the gluteal muscles of normal and Hyp mice. As anticipated, when normal cells were transplanted into Hyp mice mineralization was impaired. However, when Hyp cells were transplanted into normal mice, reduction, but not normalization of the defect was observed leading these investigators to conclude that there is an intrinsic osteoblast defect in the Hyp mouse. Although these studies supported the hypothesis that there is a primary osteoblast defect in the Hyp mouse, they did not exclude the possibility that the putative circulating factor in the Hyp mouse could have led to an irreversible developmental defect in the Hyp osteoblast. Such a situation would be analogous to the permanent developmental defects that are produced in developing neural tissue by lack of sufficient thyroid hormone at a critical stage of development (28). An intrinsic osteoblast defect was also postulated by Lajeunesse et al. (29) who studied the effects of Hyp serum and Hyp osteoblast conditioned media on phosphate transport in primary mouse proximal tubule cultures (MPTC). They found that Hyp serum, when added to the culture media for at least 24 hr, impaired phosphate transport in MPTC in a dose dependent fashion. Furthermore, conditioned media from Hyp osteoblasts, compared to conditioned media from normal osteoblasts, also inhibited phosphate transport. These data suggest that the Hyp osteoblast is responsible for the release and/or modification of a humoral factor(s) that inhibits phosphate reabsorption (29). Additional preliminary studies by this group (30) support the notion that the Hyp osteoblasts may modify a factor rather than directly produce this factor. Whether the osteoblast is solely responsible for the production and/or modification of this factor or whether another cell type plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the phosphate wasting has not been determined. However, these studies do implicate the osteoblast as a potentially important cell in maintenance of phosphate homeostasis. The possibility that a hormonal factor plays a role in phosphate wasting is supported by existence of tumor induced osteomalacia. These tumors, which are frequently of mesenchymal origin, result in renal phosphate wasting and inappropriately low serum calcitriol concentrations (3,19,31–33). Both the phosphate wasting and low calcitriol concentrations resolve when the tumor is removed. Since tumors frequently secrete, in abnormal amounts and in an unregulated fashion, substances that have a role in normal physiology, it is plausible that the phosphate wasting observed in patients who have tumor induced osteomalacia is due to over production of a factor(s) that normally controls renal phosphate reabsorption. We have referred to this factor as “phosphatonin” (31). Unfortu-

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nately, this factor has only been partially purified (32,34) and its role in the phosphate wasting seen in XLH has yet to be determined.

Vitamin D Metabolism In the setting of hypophosphatemia, increased calcitriol (1,25OH vitamin D) concentrations are anticipated since this is one of the homeostatic mechanisms that is present to return serum phosphate concentrations to normal. However, several investigators have found normal serum calcitriol concentrations in XLH patients (35–37). Thus, XLH patients have a relative insufficiency of calcitriol. Studies in the Hyp mouse confirm and expand the human observations. 25(OH)D-1α-hydroxylase, the enzyme that converts 25OH vitamin D into 1,25OH vitamin D, plays a critical role in determining serum calcitriol concentrations. Lobaugh and Drezner (38) studied the activity of this enzyme in Hyp mice and compared it to normal mice on control and phosphate deplete diets. Normal mice on phosphate deplete diets profoundly increased 1α-hydroxylase activity compared to normal mice on the control diet while Hyp mice had a much lesser increment in 1α-hydroxylase despite having serum phosphorus concentrations that were similar to the phosphate deplete mice. Moreover, other investigators have found that the catabolism of 1,25(OH)2D3 is increased in Hyp mice as compared to controls (39,40). Unfortunately, studies of 1α-hydroxylase activity in the Gy mouse are more controversial. Davidai et al. (41) found that activity of renal 25(OH)D-1α-hydroxylase in the Gy mouse was similar to that of normal mice on phosphate depleted diets, but much greater than that of normal mice on control diets. They concluded that, unlike the Hyp mouse, 1α-hydroxylase activity is appropriately regulated in the Gy mouse. Tenenhouse et al. (42) were unable to detect a statistically significant difference in calcitriol concentrations between Gy and normal mice on control diets, although there was a trend for Gy mice to have higher calcitriol concentrations. However, when Gy and normal mice were placed on phosphate restricted diets normal mice appropriately increased their calcitriol concentration, but the calcitriol concentration in phosphate deplete Gy mice paradoxically dropped substantially below that of Gy mice on the control diet. Meyer et al. (43) postulated that some of the observed differences between the Hyp and Gy models were due to differences in genetic background since the Gy mouse is bred on the B6C3H background and the Hyp mouse is bred on the C57BL/6J background. Of note, the male Gy mouse does not survive on the C57BL/6J background (44). When both mutations were bred on the B6C3H background there were no differences in calcitriol concentrations between Hyp and Gy mice. However, both Hyp and Gy mice calcitriol concentrations were substantially effected by calcium concentrations in the diet. Thus, it is possible that much of the observed difference in vitamin D metabolism between Gy and Hyp mice was secondary to differences in background strain and diet. These findings are important since several investigators have asserted that the Hyp and Gy mice arose from mutations in two different genes, particularly in light of the occurrence of a recombination event between the two mutations (12). However, a definitive answer to this question required cloning the gene and characterizing the mutations.


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Positional Cloning of the PHEX Gene Despite extensive study, as outlined previously, the pathophysiology of XLH has not been fully elucidated. To gain a better understanding of the disorder we used the positional cloning approach to map and clone the gene responsible for the disorder ( reviewed in refs. 45 and 46 ). The positional cloning approach has two major advantages: 1. it does not require the investigator to make any assumptions about the gene’s function and 2. knowledge of tissue expression, although helpful, is not required. As outlined in Chapters 20–22, this approach is becoming more common-place and it has been used to clone a wide variety of disease genes (47). To locate a gene by the positional cloning approach investigators first use linkage analysis to determine the chromosomal location of the gene. Once a general location is known they perform additional linkage analysis with multiple genetic markers from the region to find two markers that closely flank the disease gene. Subsequently, the investigators construct a “contig” map of human DNA between the flanking genetic markers. They use this contig to identify genes contained within the contig and test these genes for mutation in affected individuals. Early linkage studies by Machler et al. and Thakker et al. placed the HYP gene on Xp22 (48,49) between the markers DXS41 and DXS43, but the distance between these markers was far too great to consider creating a contig map with the available technology. Over the course of several investigations (50–53) members of the HYP consortium refined the genetic map determined that the markers DXS365 (telomeric) and DXS274 (centromeric) flanked the disease gene. These flanking markers were now close enough to try to bridge the distance between them with yeast artificial chromosomes (YAC). As detailed in Chapter 21, YACs are yeast vectors that contain large pieces of human DNA (up to 1 MB) and can be propagated in yeast (54). DXS365 and DXS274, and/or cosmids that contained these probes, were used to screen YAC libraries (55). This screening identified 4 nonchimeric YACs on the centromeric side and 2 nonchimeric YACs on the telomeric side. To complete the contig we isolated a cosmid from the telomeric end of one of the centromeric YACs and used this cosmid to rescreen the YAC library. This “walking” technique allowed us to isolate several new YAC clones. One of these YAC clones overlapped with one of the YACs that was obtained by the initial library screen with DXS365, the telomeric marker. Thus, the distance between the two flanking markers DXS365, on the telomeric side, and DXS274 on the centromeric side was spanned by a 3 YAC contig which covered approx 1.5 MB of genomic DNA (55). To further define the region we developed new microsatellite markers, DXS1683 and DXS7474, from two of the YACs (56,57). These markers were physically mapped to lie on opposite ends of the YAC in the center of the contig (55). We tested these markers in 20 large HYP kindreds. Two recombinants were seen between DXS1683 and HYP. Both of these matings placed DXS1683 on the centromeric side of the HYP gene (50). Similarly, there were two recombination

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events between DXS7474 and HYP which placed DXS7474 telomeric to HYP (51). These results allowed us to place the HYP gene on one YAC between DXS1683 and DXS7474 in a physical distance of approx 350kb (51). Since the distance between the new flanking markers is relatively short and since cosmids have several advantages over YACs, we constructed a cosmid contig (58) across the region. The cosmid contig allowed us to change our approach to mutation detection. In addition to trying to isolate cDNAs from the region and test them for mutation in our 20 large kindreds, we used the cosmids to screen large numbers of affected individuals for deletions. These affected individuals were either members of small kindreds that were not suitable for linkage studies or were isolated cases. Through the collaborative efforts of the five laboratories that make up the HYP consortium (58) we obtained DNA samples from approx 150 unrelated affected individuals. We looked for deletions by hybridizing whole cosmids to Southern blots of restriction enzyme digested genomic DNA from these individuals. Although we did not think that deletions would be common in this disease, the detection of even one deletion with a cosmid would be a strong indication that the cosmid contained the HYP gene. We found three affected individuals who demonstrated deletions in DNA contained within cosmid 611 and we found a fourth affected individual who demonstrated a small (approx 1kb) deletion within cosmid 1005, which lies immediately centromeric to cosmid 611 (58). This latter deletion does not overlap with the other three deletions. Thus, we focused our efforts on these cosmids.

Cloning the PHEX Gene To clone the gene the members of the HYP consortium employed three complementary approaches (see Chapter 21 for detailed illustrations on how these techniques are used to find genes). We used the cosmids that were identified by patient deletions to screen cDNA libraries made from fetal brain, fetal liver, and adult muscle. We also performed exon trapping (59) to detect exons from genes that were contained within the contig. Additionally, we performed automated sequencing of the cosmids and used standard computer programs to search for exons within the genomic sequence. All three lines of investigation revealed the presence of a candidate gene in the region. Sequence analysis of this gene indicated that it contains significant homology at the peptide level to the M13 family of endopeptidase genes, which includes neutral endopeptidase, endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE1), and the Kell antigen. Further analysis revealed that in all four patients who had deletions, the deletions involved at least one exon from this gene (58). We labeled this gene “PEX” for phosphate regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidases on the X chromosome. The name has been subsequently changed to “PHEX” to avoid confusion with genes that are responsible for peroxisomal disorders. The PHEX gene contains 22 exons, which code for a 749 amino acid protein (58,60). As is typical for the M13 endopeptidases, PHEX has 10 conserved cysteines


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that are seen in other members of this class, it has a short N-terminal cytoplasmic domain, and a single transmembrane domain. Thus, most of the molecule is in the extracellular space. The PHEX protein contains several highly conserved sequence motifs including a zinc binding domain (HEXXH in exon 17) and an invariant glutamic acid residue in exon 19 (58,60). Cloning the human PHEX gene has led to relatively rapid cloning of the mouse Phex gene, which has high homology to human PHEX (61,62). Of interest, neither the human nor murine PHEX/Phex genes have “classic” Kozak sequences (63). PHEX/Phex is one of only three percent of known genes that does not have a purine at the -3 position before the ATG initiation sequence (60–62). This finding may be significant since, in general, genes that do not have good Kozak sequences tend to be post transcriptionally regulated (64). Although little is known about the Kell blood group protein, ECE 1 and neutral endopeptidase function as ectoenzymes. Neutral endopeptidase degrades/ inactivates several small peptides including substance P, bradykinin, and enkephalins (65). Endothelin converting enzyme 1, on the other hand, serves to convert Big endothelin to endothelin, the active form (66). Thus, it is likely that PHEX functions to either activate or degrade a peptide hormone.

Expression Pattern Several investigators have examined PHEX/Phex tissue expression by a variety of techniques (61,67–69). When relative abundance of PHEX/Phex mRNA was determined, the highest level of expression was apparent in bones and teeth (67,69). This is consistent with the fact that XLH patients display abnormalities in bone and teeth and demonstration of an osteoblast defect in the Hyp mouse. However, expression has also been found in lung, brain, muscle, ovary, and testis. In light of these findings there are several tissues that could play a role in phosphate homeostasis and PHEX may have roles in processes unrelated to phosphate homeostasis. Of note, even in bone and tooth PHEX/Phex is a low abundance transcript and concentrations of this 6.6 kb mRNA (61) are two orders of magnitude less than that of B actin (67). Surprisingly, preliminary studies using quantitative RT-PCR indicate that PHEX is not up-regulated by dietary phosphate depletion (70).

PHEX Mutations Although the PHEX deletions that we found in four patients were consistent with PHEX being the gene responsible for XLH, it was possible, although unlikely, that these deletions also involved another gene, which was the “real” gene. To establish with certainty that PHEX was the gene responsible for the disease we looked for point mutations in our XLH patients. In our initial efforts we detected a frameshift mutation caused by the loss of a TC dinucleotide in exon 6. We also found two point mutations in the splice acceptor site of exon 7. These two mutations led to exon skipping (58). More recent efforts by several investigators (60,71–74) have allowed detection of over 100 different PHEX mutations. There are deletions, frame shifts, exon splice mutations, and nonsense mutations all of

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which are inactivating mutations. Additionally, multiple missense mutations have been identified and these mutations may provide information about important regions of the protein (60,71–74). For example, changing the glycine at codon 579, which immediately precedes the zinc binding motif and which is conserved in NEP and ECE-1 and ECE-2, to either arginine (60,72,73) or valine (71) likely results in the loss of catalytic activity. The multiple reported proline to leucine, leucine to proline, and cysteine to serine missense mutations likely affect protein conformation (60,71–74). Although a few mutations, such as glycine to arginine at codon 579, occur in several different series, no mutation occurs in more than 10% of XLH families. Thus, there are a wide variety of mutations that are scattered throughout the coding region and all the mutations are consistent with loss of function. Although the issue of genotype/phenotype correlations has not been entirely resolved, there does not appear to be strong correlation between type of mutation and severity of disease. When considering genotype/phenotype correlations one should remember that there is a great deal of variation in severity of disease between affected individuals from the same family who have the same mutation. Thus, great caution is necessary when correlating genotype to phenotpye when only a small number of affected individuals with each mutation is available for study. Recent success in identification of the murine Phex gene and the Hyp and Gy mutations (61,62,67) provides an opportunity to interpret previous studies of Gy and Hyp mice in a new light. Since there are phenotypic differences and an alleged biochemical difference between Hyp and Gy mice, several investigators proposed that there were two separate genes that when mutated resulted in phosphate wasting (41,44,75). The occurrence of a single recombinant event (12) between these two mutations further misled investigators into concluding that there were two closely linked genes that regulated phosphate transport on the X chromosome. Gy and Hyp mice have deletions in the 5' and 3' ends, respectively, of the murine Phex gene (62,67). The Gy mouse has a contiguous gene syndrome since the deletion involves the first 3 Phex exons, the spermine synthase gene (which lies 35kb upstream from Phex) and all the DNA between these two genes (76,77). Since the Hyp and Gy mutation occur at opposite ends of the gene and the human PHEX gene (and most likely the murine Phex gene) spans a distance of over 220kb of genomic DNA (60), it is not surprising that a recombination event occurred between the two deletions. The fact that the Gy has a contiguous gene syndrome, as well as differences in background strain, probably account for the phenotypic differences between the two mouse models. In any event, identification of the Hyp and Gy mutations provides strong evidence that Phex is the only phosphate regulating gene on this portion of the X chromosome.

Why Is XLH a Dominant Disorder? XLH is an X-linked dominant disorder with little, if any, gene dosage effect (10). Although many dominant disorders, such as osteogenesis imperfecta (see Chapter 5), result from dominant negative effects, where the mutant protein interferes with the function of the normal protein, this does not appear to be the


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case in XLH for two reasons. First the Gy mutation results in loss of the first 3 Phex exons and all of the upstream DNA between Phex and spermine synthase, which likely includes the Phex promotor region. Thus, it is highly unlikely that any mutant Phex protein is made by the Gy mouse. Second, female XLH patients have a normal X chromosome inactivation pattern (78) and only one PHEX/Phex gene should be expressed per cell. Thus, even in cases where mutant protein is made it is unlikely that it could interfere with normal protein. In light of the fact that one of the PHEX gene copies is inactivated in each cell and X-chromosome inactivation is normal in female XLH patients, it is difficult to see why there is no significant gene dosage effect in this disorder since approximately half of the cells express the normal PHEX gene. XLH may be a haploinsufficiency disorder in which having half the normal amount of PHEX gene could result in the disease phenotype. Such a situation might exist if the PHEX enzyme is responsible for catalyzing the rate limiting step in a pathway. An alternative mechanism to either the classic dominant negative mechanism or haploinsufficiency is a “cellular dominant negative” mechanism. As noted previously, there is data that the Hyp osteoblast either secretes or modifies a humoral factor that causes phosphate wasting and, perhaps, impairs mineralization (29). Thus, it is possible that XLH osteoblasts that have the normal PHEX gene turned off secrete or modify a humoral factor that affects osteoblasts that have the mutant PHEX gene turned off. Such a situation, if it exists, would be a new mechanism of how mutations lead to disease.

How Does Loss of Phex/Phex Function Lead to Disease and What Is Its Normal Role in Phosphate Homeostasis? Although it is clear that PHEX mutations are responsible for XLH, the mechanism whereby loss of PHEX function leads to the disease is not immediately obvious. A few points are noteworthy. First, as noted previously, the Hyp and Gy mouse mutations result in decreased levels of Npt2 mRNA and protein (20,21). Thus, PHEX/Phex may directly or indirectly regulate renal phosphate handling. Second, studies demonstrating PHEX expression in osteoblasts are consistent with the notion of a primary osteoblast defect which is responsible for at least part of the mineralization abnormalities. These studies also indicate that the osteoblast could play an important role in regulating phosphate homeostasis, although there is currently insufficient data to fully support this contention. Third, there is evidence for the secretion of a phosphaturic factor by tumors excised from patients with tumor induced osteomalacia (32,34,79–81). This putative phosphaturic factor, which we termed “phosphatonin” (31), may be related to the putative circulating factor which may be responsible for the renal Pi leak in Hyp mice (23,25,29). Since PHEX mutations, which result in the disease phenotype, are loss of function mutations and not activating mutations, it is clear that PHEX is not “phosphatonin.” However, the PHEX gene product may play a role in regulating the concentration of phosphatonin.

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There are several possible roles for the normal PHEX protein in phosphate homeostasis. Since PHEX is a member of the neutral endopeptidase family, it is possible that it degrades/inactivates a phosphaturic hormone. Thus, mutations in PHEX would result in excessive concentrations of phosphatonin. However, if this is the case one might predict that parabiosis between a Hyp and normal mouse would rescue the Hyp phenotype (i.e., the normal Phex protein might be expected to degrade excessive phosphatonin originating from the mutant animal). However, parabiosis did not rescue the Hyp phenotype. Instead, normal mice, when parabiosed to Hyp mice, started to waste phosphate (23). Although resolution of this apparent discrepancy awaits additional data, it is possible that the kidney is exposed to high concentrations of phosphatonin before the Phex protein has a chance to degrade it. Alternatively the normal animal may not adequately up-regulate Phex to degrade the excessive amounts of phosphatonin that accumulated in the mutant animal. Another potential mechanism of action that is keeping with an enzymatic role for PHEX is that, under normal circumstances, PHEX could function to activate a phosphate conserving hormone. However, this model would also predict that parabiosis of normal mouse to Hyp mouse would rescue the Hyp phenotype. An alternative possibility is that PHEX protein indirectly functions to influence concentrations of phosphatonin or a phosphate conserving hormone. Finally, it is possible that PHEX mutations result in a compensatory up-regulation of another enzyme and over expression of this enzyme results in the phenotypic manifestations of XLH.

Therapeutic Implications The pathophysiology of XLH has important implications for treatment of the disease. Current therapy involves the use of high dose calcitriol and phosphate. (For information on the proper use of this therapy, see ref. 3 ). If the normal function of PHEX protein is to degrade/inactivate “phosphatonin,” therapeutic efforts could be directed toward inhibiting phosphatonin action (receptor blockade, etc). If PHEX activates a phosphate conserving hormone, treatment could be initiated with the active hormone. If the disease results from compensatory up-regulation of another endopeptidase, consideration should be given to treatment with an endopeptidase inhibitor. Indeed, if up-regulation of another enzyme resulted in phosphate wasting we would expect that activating mutations in the gene that codes for this enzyme would lead to phosphate wasting.

Adult-Onset Vitamin D-Resistant Hypophosphatemic Osteomalacia Despite recognition that there is variability in the clinical spectrum of XLH, one group of investigators proposed that there are two forms of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets. Frymoyer and Hodgkin (82) described a 133-person kindred with what they referred to as “adult onset vitamin D resistant hypophosphatemic osteomalacia.” The inheritance pattern was consistent with X-linked dominant transmission. Hypophosphatemic young adults had minimal femoral bowing and older adults


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(defined as over age 40) were “progressively disabled by severe bowing” (82). There were 14 hypophosphatemic children in the kindred. Moderate bowing was observed in one 17-yr-old who had closed epiphyses. Although “mild femoral bowing” was observed in some of the other 13 children, these investigators reported that none of the affected children had radiographic evidence of rickets. Based largely on this lack of radiographically evident rickets, these authors concluded that there are two forms of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets. Since the absence of radiographic evidence of rickets was used to define this new disease, we tested the hypothesis that radiographic evidence of rickets is an invariant feature of XLH. To perform these studies we obtained radiographs from affected children who were from several well established XLH families. We found rachitic abnormalities in 5 of 11 wrist radiographs and 13 of 15 knee radiographs. Indeed, two children aged 3.8 and 5.2 yr displayed no radiographic evidence of rickets at either the wrist or knee, although their relatives exhibited rickets (83). In light of our findings that radiographic evidence of rickets is not an invariant feature of XLH, we felt that it was premature to define new disease entities based largely on the lack of rickets in affected children. However, since Frymoyer and Hodgkin reported that none of the affected children had radiographic evidence of rickets, the possibility still existed that their kindred did have a distinct disorder. The identification of the PHEX gene provided us with an opportunity to examine this question further. In this regard, we obtained DNA samples from many members of this kindred and searched for PHEX mutations in affected members. We found that affected individuals have a missence mutation in PHEX exon 16 that results in an amino acid change from leucine to proline in residue 555 (74). Furthermore, clinical evaluation of individuals from this family indicated that some of these individuals display classic features of XLH, including radiographic evidence of rickets, and we were unable to verify progressive bowing in adults. In light of the variability in the clinical spectrum of XLH and the presence of a PHEX mutation in affected kindred members, we conclude that there is only one form of X-linked dominant phosphate wasting. Thus, identification of the PHEX gene has not only shed light into the pathophysiology of XLH, but has allowed us to demonstrate that two disorders, which were thought to be distinct, are, in fact, the same disorder.

Autosomal Dominant Forms of Renal Phosphate Wasting In addition to XLH, there are two proposed autosomal dominant forms of isolated renal phosphate wasting: autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR) and hypophosphatemic bone disease (HBD). Both of these disorders are less common than XLH and have been less well-studied, although ongoing studies may provide an opportunity to understand the pathogenesis of these disorders.

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Autosomal Dominant Hypophosphatemic Rickets (ADHR) Bianchine et al. described a small family with an autosomal dominant form of renal phosphate wasting (84,85). The father was a markedly affected man who had isolated renal phosphate wasting, short stature, and an impressive windswept deformity (valgus on one side and varus on the other). He had two affected daughters and one affected son. These investigators reported that the father had a marked tendency toward fracture with or without trauma. Otherwise the clinical course in these individuals appeared to be similar to that of XLH patients. We have recently had the opportunity to evaluate a large ADHR kindred with over 20 affected individuals (86). This kindred provided us with an opportunity to explore the phenotypic variability of this disease in a large number of individuals who all have the same mutation. Affected kindred members have isolated renal phosphate wasting with inappropriately normal serum calcitriol concentrations. In contrast to XLH, ADHR displays variable penetrance. The family contains two subgroups of affected individuals. One subgroup consists of patients who presented with phosphate wasting as adults or adolescents. These individuals complained of bone pain, weakness, and insufficiency fractures, but did not have lower extremity deformities. The second group consists of individuals who presented during childhood with phosphate wasting, rickets, and lower extremity deformity in a pattern similar to the classic presentation of XLH. Surprisingly, some of the children in this group presented with phosphate wasting and rickets, but later lost the phosphate wasting defect after puberty (86). In addition to these two groups there appear to be at least two unaffected individuals who are carriers for the ADHR mutation (86). Thus, the clinical manifestations of ADHR are even more variable than those observed in XLH.

Hypophosphatemic Bone Disease (HBD) Hypophosphatemic bone disease (HBD) was originally described by Scriver et al. (87) who studied five small families in which affected members had isolated renal phosphate wasting, short stature, and lower extremity deformity. In one family (family 4) there was a male to male transmission, indicating an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance in this family. These investigators stated that HBD differed from ADHR since affected children in their kindreds did not display radiographic evidence of rickets. In other respects the patients appeared to be similar to other patients with phosphate wasting. As noted previously, radiographic evidence of rickets is not always present in XLH (83). By analogy, it is possible that radiographic evidence of rickets may not be universal in children with ADHR. Of note, in the original description of HBD family 4, which was the only family that demonstrated a father to son transmission, contained two members who were said to have a clinical picture consistent with XLH (including rickets in at least one of these individuals) in addition to the two individuals who had HBD (87). The paternal grandmother of the propositus, who was also the aunt of the two individuals who reportedly had XLH, had a serum phosphorus of 3.1mg/dL. In light of the incomplete penetrance that is observed in ADHR and the fact that the occurrence of two different uncommon


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renal phosphate wasting disorders in the same family is unlikely, this family may have had ADHR. Thus, HBD may not be a distinct clinical entity. However, definitive evidence as to whether ADHR and HBD are distinct entities or forme fruste of one another awaits identification of the gene(s) that cause these disorders. Indeed, even if these diseases result from mutations in the same gene, it will be important to characterize the mutations that cause ADHR and HBD since different mutations in the same gene can give rise to different phenotypes. One example of this phenomenon is the dsytrophin gene in which missense mutations give rise to Beckers muscular dystrophy and nonsense mutations result in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (88). In any case, the weight of the evidence currently favors the hypothesis that ADHR and HBD are the same disorders.

Positional Cloning Efforts in Autosomal Dominant Phosphate Wasting Disorders We have recently initiated studies aimed at identifying the gene(s) responsible for ADHR. In this regard we are performing linkage studies in the large ADHR kindred described previously. Since the high affinity/low capacity sodium dependent phosphate cotransporter plays an important role in the maintenance of phosphate homeostasis we considered it a strong candidate gene. Kos et al. (22) located this transporter to the long arm of chromosome 5 (5q35) so in our initial studies we used markers from this region to look for linkage with ADHR. Our results excluded linkage of the ADHR gene to markers on 5q35 ruling out mutations in NPT-2 as a cause of ADHR in this family (89). Since another phosphate cotransporter has been identified on the short arm of chromosome 6 (90), we extended our study to include markers from this region in the linkage analysis. Our results similarly excluded linkage to this region (89). In absence of further candidate genes, we undertook a genome wide linkage search with markers spaced every 20 centiMorgans across the genome and found linkage to chromosome 12p13 (89). More recent studies place the ADHR gene locus in the approx 6.5MB interval between the markers D12S1685 and D12S397 (91). Studies in additional ADHR kindreds and in kindreds with hypophosphatemic bone disease (HBD, [87] ), are in progress to determine if there is genetic heterogeneity for the ADHR phenotype and if ADHR and HBD result from mutations in the same gene. More importantly, these studies will further localize the gene(s) that are responsible for ADHR and HBD and eventually lead to their identification. Since the primary defect in ADHR results in isolated phosphate wasting it is likely that the ADHR gene plays a role in phosphate homeostasis. Current models of phosphate homeostasis indicate that renal phosphate wasting could result from: 1. Mutations in a gene that enables the organism to assess extracellular phosphate concentrations (a phosphate sensor or a phosphate sensing system); 2. Activating mutations in a gene(s) that codes for a renal phosphate wasting hormone (“phosphatonin”) or its receptor (including associated G proteins or other effector molecules);

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3. Mutations in a gene(s) that codes for a phosphate conserving hormone or its receptor; 4. Mutations in genes that code for repressors or inducers for the above hormones; 5. Mutations in genes that code for enzymes that activate or degrade these hormones (as is likely to be the case with the PHEX gene); and 6. Mutations in genes that code for the phosphate cotransporters.

Isolation of the ADHR gene may result in identifying one of the genes in the above model or, if the ADHR gene codes for a protein that has none of the above functions, isolation of the ADHR gene may result in changes to the current model as well as a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disorder.

Hereditary Hypophosphatemic Rickets with Hypercalciuria Hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH) was first described in a Bedouin tribe (92). In concert with other disorders of phosphate wasting, HHRH results in decreased serum phosphate levels and reduced tubular phosphate reabsorption, with normal serum calcium concentrations. However, in contrast to other phosphate wasting disorders, serum concentrations of 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D are elevated despite suppressed parathyroid function, and HHRH patients display a marked increase in urinary calcium excretion. Oral calcium and phosphate loading tests show that there is intestinal hyperabsorption of calcium and phosphate. It was suggested that the pivotal HHRH defect consists of renal phosphate depletion which stimulates renal 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1-α hydroxylase followed by an increase of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. This in turn enhances intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, increases the renal calcium filtered load and suppresses parathyroid gland function, with both events contributing to the hypercalciuria (92). The accurate diagnosis of HHRH has important therapeutic implications. In contrast to XLH, phosphate supplementation alone can cause a complete remission of the disease whereas the addition of active vitamin D can be harmful and create complications, such as hypercalcemia, kidney stones, and renal damage (93). Since the original report of HHRH (92), Tieder et al. (94) have further characterized this family. Of the 59 family members that they studied there were nine individuals with HHRH and an additional 21 members who had idiopathic hypercalciuria (IH), slightly reduced serum phosphate levels and elevated serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations (94). The mode of inheritance has not been unequivocally established. It has been suggested that HHRH is inherited in an autosomal recessive mode. The biochemical data from the Bedouin tribe, however, may indicate an autosomal codominant pattern with high, but incomplete penetrance. All of the individuals that had severe hypophosphatemia also had IH, and none of the family members showed signs of hypophosphatemia


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alone. This finding makes the probability of two defective genes as the cause of HHRH highly unlikely. Of note, an autosomal dominant form of HHRH has been described, where the clinical and biochemical abnormalities are less pronounced (95). Linkage analysis has not been reported for HHRH, however candidate genes, such as NPT1, NPT2, and stanniocalcin, have been mapped by FISH analysis and somatic cell hybrid panels to human chromosomes 6p21.3-p23 (90), 5q35 (22), and 8p21 (96), respectively. An NPT2 knockout mouse was recently developed by Beck and colleagues (97) that resembled the HHRH phenotype in many aspects. The null (NPT2–/–) mouse possessed a biochemical profile similar to HHRH individuals and displayed marked skeletal deformities. NPT2–/– mice had significant decreases in serum phosphorus, an increased fractional excretion index for phosphate, as well as hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria when compared to wild-type mice (97). Serum alkaline phosphatase activity was also elevated in NPT2–/– mice, but declined with age. Interestingly, the heterozygous NPT2+/– animal had elevated serum 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D concentrations and an increased fractional excretion index for phosphate when compared to wild-type animals, however showed a normal serum phosphate level. This may indicate that both copies of NPT2 must be deleted to observe the HHRH phenotype and, with heterozygous knockout of transporter function, that an intermediate phenotype is seen, supporting the idea that HHRH may be an autosomal codominant disorder. Histological analysis of NPT2–/– mice tibiae revealed perturbations in bone remodeling, such as poorly developed metaphyseal trabeculae and slowed secondary ossification in the epiphysis when compared to wild-type mice (97). In contrast to HHRH patients, however, the NPT2–/– animals do not show indications of rickets or osteomalacia. Possible species variations in phosphate handling and vitamin D adaptation were proposed for the differences in bone structure between HHRH patients and NPT2–/– mice (97). When comparing the phenotype of a knockout mouse to a disorder of unknown origin, the results should be interpreted carefully. Genetic heterogeneity exists in many disorders, therefore inactivating mutations in critical accessory proteins that regulate renal NPT2 expression or function could potentially lead to HHRH. For example, the intracellular proteins Diphor-1 (98) and PiUS (99), recently mapped to human chromosomes 1q (100) and 3p (101), respectively, were shown to increase phosphate uptake in vitro when co-expressed with NPT2, and therefore could also be considered candidate HHRH genes. In summary, HHRH is a phosphate wasting disorder in which the etiology is unknown. Current investigation is underway to determine the inheritance pattern and molecular defect causing the disease. The NPT2 knockout mouse shares a similar phenotype with HHRH individuals and this animal model will help to provide insight into the regulation of mineral balance. Finding the gene for HHRH will not only help to determine the pathogenesis of the disorder, but will also provide important answers to questions involving the PTH-vitamin D-phosphate feedback loop.

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Conclusion Phosphate homeostasis is a complex process, but new methods of analysis are shedding light on phosphate homeostasis and the hereditary disorders of phosphate wasting. In several instances, advances in molecular genetics not only help investigators gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases, but allow clinicians to understand the variability in the clinical presentation of these disorders.

Acknowledgments Work in the authors’ laboratory was supported by NIH grants #AR42228, AR02095, and AG05793.

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47. Collins, F. S. (1995) Positional cloning moves from perditional to traditional. Nat. Genet. 9, 347–350. 48. Machler, M., Frey, D., Gal, A., Orth, U., Wienker, T. F., Fanconi, A., and Schmid, W. (1986) X-linked dominant hypophosphatemia is closely linked to DNA markers DXS41 and DXS43 at Xp22. Hum. Genet. 73, 271–275. 49. Read, A. P., Thakker, R. V., Davies, K. E., Mountford, R. C., Brenton, D. P., Davies, M., et al. (1986) Mapping of human X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets by multilocus linkage analysis. Hum. Genet. 73, 267–270. 50. Econs, M. J., Rowe, P. S., Francis, F., Barker, D. F., Speer, M. C., Norman, M., et al. (1994) Fine structure mapping of the human X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets gene locus. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 79, 1351–1354. 51. Rowe, P. S., Goulding, J. N., Francis, F., Oudet, C., Econs, M. J., Hanauer, A., et al. (1996) The gene for X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets maps to a 200–300kb region in Xp22.1–Xp22.2 and is located on a single YAC containing a putative vitamin D response element (VDRE). Hum. Genet. 97, 345–352. 52. Econs, M. J., Barker, D. F., Speer, M. C., Pericak-Vance, M. A., Fain, P. R., and Drezner, M. K. (1992) Multilocus mapping of the X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets gene. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 75, 201–206. 53. Econs, M. J., Fain, P. R., Norman, M., Speer, M. C., Pericak-Vance, M. A., Becker, P. A., et al. (1993) Flanking markers define the X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets gene locus. J. Bone Miner. Res. 8, 1149–1152. 54. Massry, S. G. (1995) Hypophosphatemia and Hyperphosphatemia, in Textbook of Nephrology (Massry, S. G. and Glassock, R. J., eds) William and Wilkins, Baltimore, pp. 398–412. 55. Francis, F., Rowe, P. S. N., Econs, M. J., See, C. G., Benham, F., O’Riordan, J. L. H., Drezner, M. K., Hamvas, R. M. J., and Leharach, H. (1994) A YAC contig spanning the hypophosphatemic rickets gene candidate region. Genomics 21, 229–237. 56. Econs, M. J., Francis, F., Rowe, P. S., Speer, M. C., O’Riordan, J. L., Lehrach, H., and Becker, P. A. (1994) Dinucleotide repeat polymorphism at the DXS1683 locus. Hum. Mol. Genet. 3, 680. 57. Rowe, P. S., Francis, F., and Goulding, J. (1994) Rapid isolation of DNA sequences flanking microsatellite repeats. Nucleic Acids Res. 22, 5135–5136. 58. HYP Consortium (1995) A gene (PEX) with homologies to endopeptidases is mutated in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets. Nat. Genet. 11, 130–136. 59. Buckler, A. J., Chang, D. D., Graw, S. L., Brook, J. D., Haber, D. A., Sharp, P. A., and Housman, D. E. (1991) Exon amplification: a strategy to isolate mammalian genes based on RNA splicing. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 4005–4009. 60. Francis, F., Strom, T. M., Hennig, S., Boddrich, A., Lorenz, B., Brandau, O., et al. (1997) Genomic organization of the human PEX gene mutated in X-linked dominant hypophosphatemic rickets. Genome Res. 7, 573–585. 61. Du, L., Desbarats, M., Viel, J., Glorieux, F. H., Cawthorn, C., and Ecarot, B. (1996) cDNA cloning of the murine Pex gene implicated in X-linked hypophosphatemia and evidence for expression in bone. Genomics 36, 22–28. 62. Strom, T. M., Francis, F., Lorenz, B., Boddrich, A., Econs, M. J., Lehrach, H., and Meitinger, T. (1997) Pex gene deletions in Gy and Hyp mice provide mouse models for X-linked hypophosphatemia. Hum. Mol. Genet. 6, 165–171. 63. Kozak, M. (1987) An analysis of 5'-noncoding sequences from 699 vertebrate messenger RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 8125–8148.

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64. Kozak, M. (1991) An analysis of vertebrate mRNA sequences: intimations of translational control. J. Cell Biol. 115, 887–903. 65. Welches, W. R., Brosnihan, K. B., and Ferrario, C. M. (1993) A comparison of the properties and enzymatic activities of three angiotensin processing enzymes: angiotensin converting enzyme, prolyl endopeptidase and neutral endopeptidase 24.11. Life Sci. 52, 1461–1480. 66. Xu, D., Emoto, N., Giaid, A., Slaughter, C., Kaw, S., deWit, D., and Yanagisawa, M. (1987) ECE-1: a membrane-bound metalloprotease that catalyzes the proteolytic activation of big endothelin-1. Cell Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 8125–8148. 67. Beck, L., Soumounou, Y., Martel, J., Krishnamurthy, G., Gauthier, C., Goodyer, C. G., and Tenenhouse, H. S. (1997) Pex/PEX tissue distribution and evidence for a deletion in the 3' region of the Pex gene in X–linked hypophosphatemic mice. J. Clin. Invest. 99, 1200–1209. 68. Lipman, M. L., Panda, D., Bennett, H. P., Henderson, J. E., Shane, E., Shen, Y., et al. (1998) Cloning of human PEX cDNA. Expression, subcellular localization, and endopeptidase activity. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 13,729–13,737. 69. Ruchon, A. F., Marcinkiewicz, M., Siegfried, G., Tenenhouse, H. S., DesGroseillers, L., Crine, P., and Boileau, G. (1998) Pex mRNA is localized in developing mouse osteoblasts and odontoblasts. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 46, 459–468. 70. Meyer, M. H. and Meyer, R. A. Jr. (1998) The effect of low phosphate diet on Pex mRNA expression in the normal mouse. Bone 23(5), S545(Abstract). 71. Holm, I. A., Huang, X., and Kunkel, L. M. (1997) Mutational analysis of the PEX gene in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 60, 790–797. 72. Rowe, P. S., Oudet, C. L., Francis, F., Sinding, C., Pannetier, S., Econs, M. J., et al. (1997) Distribution of mutations in the PEX gene in families with X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets (HYP). Hum. Mol. Genet. 6, 539–549. 73. Dixon, P. H., Christie, P. T., Wooding, C., Trump, D., Grieff, M., Holm, I., et al. (1998) Mutational analysis of PHEX gene in X-linked hypophosphatemia. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 3615–3623. 74. Econs, M. J., Friedman, N. E., Rowe, P. S. N., Speer, M. C., Francis, F., Strom, T. M., et al. (1998) A PHEX gene mutation is responsible for adult onset vitamin-Dresistant hypophosphatemic osteomalacia: evidence that the disorder is not a distinct entity from X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets (HYP). J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 3459–3462. 75. Scriver, C. R., Tenenhouse, H. S., and Glorieux, F. H. (1991) X-linked hypophosphatemia: an appreciation of a classic paper and a survey of progress since 1958. Medicine 70, 218–228. 76. Lorenz, B., Francis, F., Gempel, K., Boddrich, A., Josten, M., Schmahl, W., et al. (1998) Spermine deficiency in Gy mice caused by deletion of the spermine synthase gene. Hum. Mol. Genet. 7, 541–547. 77. Meyer, R. A.,Jr., Henley, C. M., Meyer, M. H., Morgan, P. L., McDonald, A. G., Mills, C., and Price, D. K. (1998) Partial deletion of both the spermine synthase gene and the PEX gene in the X-linked hypophosphatemic, gyro (Gy) mouse. Genomics 48, 289–295. 78. Orstavik, K. H., Orstavik, R. E., Halse, J., and Knudtzon, J. (1996) X chromosome inactivation pattern in female carriers of X linked hypophosphataemic rickets. J. Med. Genet. 33, 700–703.


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79. Nelson, A. E., Namkung, H. J., Patava, J., Wilkinson, M. R., Chang, A. C.-M., Reddel, R. R., Robinson, B. G., and Mason, R. S. (1996) Characteristics of tumor cell bioactivity in oncogenic osteomalacia. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 124, 17–23. 80. Miyauchi, A., Fukase, M., Tsutsumi, M., and Fujita, T. (1988) Hemangiopericytomainduced osteomalacia: tumor transplantation in nude mice causes hypophosphatemia and tumor extracts inhibit renal 25–hydroxyvitamin D 1-hydroxylase activity. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 67, 46–53. 81. Chalew, S. A., Lovechild, J. C., Brown, C. M., and Sun, C.-C. J. (1996) Hypophosphatemia induced in mice by transplantation of a tumor-derived cell line from a patient with oncogenic rickets. J. Pediatr. Endocrinol. Metab. 9, 593–597. 82. Frymoyer, J. W. and Hodgkin, W. (1977) Adult-onset vitamin D-resistant hypophosphatemic osteomalacia. A possible variant of vitamin D-resistant rickets. J. Bone Joint Surg. (Am. Vol.) 59, 101–106. 83. Econs, M. J., Feussner, J. R., Samsa, G. P., Effman, E. L., Vogler, J. B., Martinez, S., et al. (1991) X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets without “rickets.” Skeletal Radiol. 20, 109–114. 84. Bianchine, J. W., Stambler, A. A., and Harrison, H. E. (1971) Familial hypophosphatemic rickets showing autosomal dominant inheritance. Birth Defects: Original Article Series 7, 287–295. 85. Harrison, H. E. and Harrison, H. C. (1979) Rickets and osteomalacia, in: Disorders of Calcium and Phosphate Metabolism in Childhood and Adolescence W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, pp. 230–249, 86. Econs, M. J. and McEnery, P. T. (1997) Autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets/osteomalacia: clinical characterization of a novel renal phosphate wasting disorder. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 82, 674–681. 87. Scriver, C. R., MacDonald, W., Reade, T., Glorieux, R. H., and Nogrady, B. (1977) Hypophosphatemic nonrachitic bone disease: an entity distinct from X-linked hypophosphatemia in the renal defect, bone involvement, and inheritance. Am. J. Med. Genet. 1, 101–117. 88. Koenig, M., Beggs, A. H., Moyer, M., Scherpf, S., Heindrich, K., Bettecken, T., et al. (1989) The molecular basis for Duchenne versus Becker muscular dystrophy: correlation of severity with type of deletion. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 45, 498–506. 89. Econs, M. J., McEnery, P. T., Lennon, F., and Speer, M. C. (1997) Autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets is linked to chromosome 12p13. J. Clin. Invest. 100, 2653–2657. 90. Chong, S. S., Kozak, C. A., Liu, L., Kristjansson, K., Dunn, S. T., Bourdeau, J. E., and Hughes, M. R. (1995) Cloning, genetic mapping, and expression analysis of a mouse renal sodium-dependent phosphate cotransporter. Am. J. Physiol. 268, F1038–F1045. 91. White, K. E., Speer, M. C., Biber, J., Murer, H., and Econs, M. J. (1998) Refining the autosomal dominant hypophosphatemic rickets (ADHR) interval on chromosome 12p13 and localization of two candidate ADHR genes. Bone 23 (5), S379(Abstract). 92. Tieder, M., Modai, D., Samuel, R., Arie, R., Halabe, A., Bab, I., Gabizon, D., and Liberman, U. A. (1985) Hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria. N. Engl. J. Med. 312, 611–617. 93. Chen, C., Carpenter, T., Steg, N., Baron, R., and Anast, C. (1989) Hypercalciuric hypophosphatemic rickets, mineral balance, bone histomorphometry, and therapeutic implications of hypercalciuria. Pediatrics 84, 276–280.

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94. Tieder, M., Modai, D., Shaked, U., Samuel, R., Arie, R., Halabe, A., et al. (1987) “Idiopathic” hypercalciuria and a hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets. Two phenotypical expressions of a common genetic defect. N. Engl. J. Med. 316, 125–129. 95. Proesmans, W. C., Fabry, G., Marchal, G. J., Gillis, P. L., and Boullian, R. (1987) Autosomal dominant hypophosphataemia with elevated serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D and hypercalciuria. Pediatr. Nephrol. 1, 479–484. 96. Olsen, H. S., Cepeda, M. A., Zhang, Q. Q., Rosen, C. A., and Vozzolo, B. L. (1996) Human stanniocalcin: a possible hormonal regulator of mineral metabolism. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 1792–1796. 97. Beck, L., Karaplis, A. C., Amizuka, N., Hewson, A. S., Ozawa, H., and Tenenhouse, H. S. (1998) Targeted inactivation of NPT2 in mice leads to severe renal phosphate wasting, hypercalciuria, and skeletal abnormalities. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 5372–5377. 98. Custer, M., Spindler, B., Verrey, F., Murer, H., and Biber, J. (1997) Identification of a new gene product (Diphor-1) regulated by dietary phosphate. Am. J. Physiol. 273, F801–F806. 99. Norbis, F., Boll, M., Stange, G., Markovich, D., Verrey, F., Biber, J., and Murer, H. (1997) Identification of a cDNA/protein leading to an increased Pi-uptake in Xenopus laevis oocytes. J. Memb. Biol. 156, 19–24. 100. White, K. E., Biber, J., Murer, H., and Econs, M. J. (1998) A PDZ domain-containing protein with homology to Diphor-1 maps to human chromosome 1q21. Ann. Hum. Genet. 62, 287–290. 101. White, K. E. and Econs, M. J. (1998) Localization of PiUS, a stimulator of cellular phosphate uptake to human chromosome 3p21.3. Somat. Cell Mol. Genet. 24, 71–74.

X-Linked Nephrolithiasis/Dent's Disease

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CHAPTER 8

X-Linked Nephrolithiasis/Dent’s Disease and Mutations in the ClC-5 Chloride Channel Steven J. Scheinman and Rajesh V. Thakker Introduction In the past several years, a number of syndromes have been defined that, though apparently distinct in several ways, all shared features of hypercalciuria, nephrocalcinosis, and evidence of renal proximal tubular reabsorptive failure; clinically significant disease was confined almost exclusively to males. In both Xlinked recessive nephrolithiasis (XRN) in North America (1) and Dent’s disease in the United Kingdom (2), calcium nephrolithiasis was a prominent presenting feature, and renal failure often progressed to end-stage. A family described by Buckalew in 1974 had a similar pattern of clinical abnormalities (3). In X-linked recessive hypophosphatemic rickets, described in two families in Italy and France, the most prominent feature was deforming rickets in childhood (4,5); this occurred in a third of patients with Dent’s disease and rarely in XRN. In addition, a syndrome of low-molecular-weight (LMW) proteinuria with hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis was described in Japanese schoolchildren without kidney stones, clinical bone disease, or significant renal failure (6). The similarities among all of these syndromes were substantial, particularly the consistent finding of LMW proteinuria which strongly suggested proximal tubular dysfunction, as well as hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis. Beyond these phenotypic similarities, a common genetic etiology has been identified, and clearly establishes that these are all variants of a single disease. The gene responsible for this disease, CLCN5, is a member of the voltagegated chloride channel family of genes, and was identified through a positional cloning approach. The gene, CLCN5, encodes a channel protein, ClC-5, and is expressed predominantly in kidney. This chapter will focus on describing the clinical features of this disease, the molecular genetic studies that led to the identification of the disease gene, and our knowledge, as yet incomplete, as to the localization and function of the gene product. The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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A wide variety of syndromes, described over a span of more than three decades, are now known to be connected by the common molecular basis of mutations in CLCN5. This section will discuss the syndromes for which mutations in CLCN5 are now known to be responsible, in the chronologic order in which they were reported. This disease might be given the descriptive name “X-linked nephrolithiasis,” or might more simply be called by the name of the one syndrome, “Dent’s disease,” which encompasses all of the major findings of the other syndromes. 1. Dent and Friedman (1964): “Hypercalciuric rickets associated with renal tubular damage.” Dent and Friedman described two unrelated boys who had rickets in the setting of renal calcium loss and evidence of proximal renal tubular dysfunction (7). These patients and others were followed over the subsequent decades by Prof. Oliver Wong, who 30 yr later described a familial syndrome with a marked male predominance that included nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, and renal failure often progressing to end-stage. They emphasized the important observation that low-molecular-weight proteinuria was the most consistent finding (2). 2. Buckalew et al. (1974): “Hereditary renal tubular acidosis.” This large North Carolina kindred with 64 members inherited a disease characterized by hypercalciuria, nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, LMW proteinuria, aminoaciduria, polyuria, and renal failure. Despite the title of that report, impaired urinary acidification was present in only four patients, while 19 had hypercalciuria and six had nephrocalcinosis. The authors proposed that hypercalciuria was the primary defect, and that the acidification defect was secondary to hypercalciuria (3). Thus, the recent report documenting CLCN5 mutations in these patients was instead entitled “X-linked renal failure without X-linked recessive hypophosphatemic rickets” (8), serving both to compare and contrast this family with phenotypic variants in other families with the same mutation. 3. Frymoyer et al. (1991): “X-linked recessive nephrolithiasis with renal failure.” In this six-generation, 162-member kindred of Irish descent in northern New York State, the presence of disease exclusively in males, the absence of father-to-son inheritance, and the multiple occurrences of inheritance from a maternal grandfather through an unaffected daughter to her sons, established that the disease in this family was X-linked (Fig. 1). Prominent features included recurrent nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, tubular solute wasting, and progression to renal failure (1). LMW proteinuria and hypercalciuria were common in this family (9) as well as in the several subsequent reports of an identical syndrome elsewhere in North America (10–12). Although the absence of rickets in these North American families was once thought to be a defining difference between “X-linked recessive nephrolithiasis” (XRN) and “Dent’s disease,” the recent reports included CLCN5 mutations in boys from Canada (10,12) and Ohio (14) with rickets.

X-Linked Nephrolithiasis/Dent's Disease Fig. 1. Pedigree of original North American family with X-linked recessive nephrolithiasis (XRN). (Adapted with permission from ref. 1 ) to indicate additional affected males identified since original report. (Copyright © 1991, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.)

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4. Furuse et al. (1992): “Familial progressive renal tubulopathy.” This report described an inherited Fanconi syndrome in six male members of two families, with LMW proteinuria, hypercalciuria, solute loss, and moderate renal insufficiency in two adults (13). 5. Bolino et al. (1993): “A new form of X-linked recessive hypophosphatemic rickets.” Five males in this Italian family had bone disease with renal phosphate wasting and a pedigree consistent with X-linked inheritance. Clinical features of hypercalciuria, high levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, proteinuria, and progressive renal failure, distinguished it from X-linked dominant hypophosphatemic rickets, and localization studies established that the disease, “X-linked recessive hypophosphatemic rickets” (XLRH) was not linked to the region of the HYP gene, but rather the region of the XRN gene (4). Another family, in France, was reported in 1997 with similar findings (5), and while patients in both families share the same inactivating mutation in CLCN5 (S244L), at least two other families (including Buckalew’s) have the same mutation without any evidence of rickets (8,10). 6. Igarashi et al. (1995): “Hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis with idiopathic LMW proteinuria in Japan.” The entity of asymptomatic LMW proteinuria had been recognized in Japan for over a decade, as a result of the annual urine screening program for schoolchildren in that country, when Igarashi and colleagues reported a subset of these patients who had hypercalciuria and nephrocalcinosis, in addition to LMW proteinuria (6). Although features such as renal failure and rickets were not present in the children in this and subsequent similar reports (15–18), this may reflect the fact that these patients were detected by screening of an asymptomatic population of young children. The reports do include some of the youngest patients with nephrocalcinosis (16), and Furuse’s report of “familial tubulopathy” described wasting of other solutes and progression to renal insufficiency (13).

Clinical Features of X-Linked Nephrolithiasis/Dent’s Disease The male predominance is striking. Carrier females usually manifest biochemical abnormalities, particularly a mild degree of LMW proteinuria, without clinically significant disease, although some women have been reported with nephrolithiasis or renal insufficiency (2,8,10,12). Proteinuria and microscopic hematuria may be present in males in infancy. Recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis can begin in boys as young as 3 yr old, as reported in families in North America and Britain (1,2,9). When rickets occurs it is clinically evident at an early age, and is deforming, though it remains to be elucidated why most patients lack any evidence for bone disease. Table 1 summarizes the clinical abnormalities identified among reported patients with documented mutations in CLCN5.


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Table 1 Major Features of X-Linked Nephrolithiasis (Dent’s Disease)a Abnormality LMW proteinuria Hypercalciuria Nephrocalcinosis Nephrolithiasis Renal failure Rickets or osteomalacia Concentrating defect Aminoaciduria Renal glycosuria Hypophosphatemia Hypokalemia Acidification defect Hypouricemia

# Positive/# total

Percent positive

57/57 51/54 42/57 21/43 40/59 15/62 15/17 26/35 9/34 24/48 12/35 5/35 1/23

100 94 74 49 68 24 88 74 56 50 34 14 4

a Data were taken from published reports of all reported cases that were confirmed by mutation analysis (1,2,4,5,8–12), excluding those identified solely by screening of asymptomatic children (6,10,15–17). Percentages are calculated as the number positive for that abnormality among those for whom any result (positive or negative) is specifically described, and thus these numbers may overestimate the true frequency since reports are more likely to fail to mention features that were absent than those that were present.

Evidence of Renal Tubular Dysfunction Proximal Tubulopathy and LMW Proteinuria The most consistent abnormality across all of these reports is LMW proteinuria. Affected males excrete proteins such as retinol-binding protein (RBP) and β2-microglobulin in quantities that exceed normal rates of excretion by as much as 3000-fold (Fig. 2). These proteins, of molecular mass less than 40,000 Daltons, are normally filtered freely at the renal glomerulus and reabsorbed almost completely by the proximal tubule, and excretion of excessive amounts of LMW proteins is evidence of proximal tubular dysfunction. Varying degrees of LMW proteinuria occur in a wide range of tubulointerstitial renal diseases, from pyelonephritis to transplant rejection (19). The literature contains reports of LMW proteinuria in kidney stone disease, though it is unusual in the absence of infection or obstruction from recurrent stones (20). The LMW proteinuria in Dent’s disease is remarkable both in the extreme degrees of proteinuria and in the fact that it occurs so consistently in virtually all patients, and at very early ages, before any signs of nephrolithiasis or nephrocalcinosis (2,9). Some patients have been described in whom LMW proteinuria is the only abnormality (21,22). Carrier females display milder degrees of LMW proteinuria, usually above the normal range but not nearly as excessive as those seen in the affected males

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Fig. 2. Left, β2 = microglobulin. Right, retinol = binding protein. Urinary excretion of low-molecular-weight proteins β2-microglobulin (left) and retinol-binding protein (right) in affected males, obligate carrier females, and normal members of the large family with XRN. Horizontal lines indicate the established upper limit of the normal range. (Adapted with permission from ref. 9.)

(Fig. 2). Since the gene is on the X chromosome, this finding is consistent with random inactivation of the X chromosome in somatic cells (Lyonization). Other Tubular Functional Defects Phosphate wasting, renal glycosuria, and aminoaciduria are also seen in this disease and provide further evidence of proximal tubular dysfunction, but no other defect is as consistently present as LMW proteinuria. Hypophosphatemia (4,5) or hypokalemia (1,2) can be pronounced but overall these occur in fewer than half of patients (1,2,9). Aminoaciduria, glycosuria (2,6,9), and hyperuricosuria (10) also occur in a minority of patients. The presence of these abnormalities can be intermittent. Although it has not been studied formally, renal sodium handling appears to be normal in this disease (9). One patient was reported to have a marked natriuretic response to hydrochlorothiazide (2). In boys the first symptom is often nocturia, and a moderate degree of polyuria occurs in many patients. Urinary concentration responds subnormally to vasopressin (2,9). Most patients are able to acidify the urine normally in response to acid-loading or spontaneously (Table 1), but some patients have impaired acidifying ability (2,8,9). In such cases the acidification defect is consistent with the presence of renal insufficiency or nephrocalcinosis (2,3,9), but recent evidence that ClC-5 is expressed in the acid-secreting intercalated cells of the collecting duct (23) may prompt reassessment of this view.


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Hypercalciuria and Stones Kidney stones in this disease are composed of calcium, usually as oxalate but occasionally with phosphate as well (1). The urine is supersaturated with respect to calcium oxalate, reflecting primarily the hypercalciuria, which appears to be the major risk factor for stones in this disease (24). Urinary excretion of citrate is normal (1,2,9), and hyperoxaluria is uncommon (2,25). Hypercalciuria In the absence of renal insufficiency, patients with Dent’s disease have hypercalciuria with an exaggerated response to oral calcium loading (6,9), while fasting hypercalciuria is seen in only half of patients (9). Consistent with this observation, serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D tend to be near or above the upper limit of the normal range, and serum levels of PTH are normal to low (1,2,6,9) (Fig. 3). Serum levels of calcium are normal. Thus, calcium metabolism in this disease resembles one pattern seen in many patients with idiopathic hypercalciuria, in whom there is a tendency to mild hypophosphatemia, excessive production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, absorptive hypercalciuria, and a component of enhanced bone resorption. To the extent that either hypophosphatemia or excessive 1-hydroxylation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D is a primary event in the hypercalciuria, this is also consistent with a defect in renal proximal tubular function. However, fasting hypercalciuria occurs in half of patients. While this would also be consistent with excessive effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D on bone, it might alternatively suggest the presence of a renal calcium leak. ClC-5 is expressed in the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop (26,45), a nephron segment involved in active calcium transport. A chloride channel, as yet unidentified, also participates in calcium transport in the cortical distal tubule (27,28).

Renal Failure Both the occurrence and the severity of renal failure are variable in this disease. Medullary nephrocalcinosis is common in affected males by the teenage years, and often earlier, but the presence of nephrocalcinosis does not correlate with the level of renal function. The degree of albuminuria usually ranges from 1 – 2 g/d, and the nephrotic syndrome does not occur. Nephrolithiasis and nephrocalcinosis have not been observed following renal transplantation among nine transplant recipients followed for up to 12 yr (25). Histopathology Nonspecific findings include tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis, usually with minimal inflammation. Glomeruli exhibit varying degrees of sclerosis, with some hypertrophic. On electron microscopy the glomerular basement membranes are normal, and immunofluorescence reveals no evidence of antibody deposition. Overall the picture suggests a non-immune focal tubulopathy with secondary glomerular damage.

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Fig. 3. Serum levels of intact PTH and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in patients with ClC-5-associated syndromes. Boxes indicate the limits and midpoints of the normal ranges for the assays, and values in individual patients are represented relative to the normal limits for that assay. Symbols represent British patients with Dent’s disease; (open squares, [2] ), North American cases of XRN (original report, solid circles [1]; other reports, solid squares [10–12] ); X-linked recessive rickets (open triangles, [4]), and Japanese cases of LMW proteinuria with nephrocalcinosis (open circles, [6]). (Reprinted with permission from ref. 25.)

Bone Disease One of the most puzzling questions in understanding this disease is why rickets or osteomalacia occurs in some patients but not in others, even among patients who share the same mutation in different families or even within the same family. For example, one mutation, S244L, is associated with severe rickets in the Italian and French families with XLRH (4,5), but not in Buckalew’s large kindred (8) or in a recently reported Ashkenazi family with XRN (14). Hypophosphatemia may contribute to bone disease in some patients, although at least two of the patients with “X-linked recessive hypophosphatemic rickets” were normophosphatemic (5), as were several of the British patients with rickets (2). In patients without clinical bone disease, bone density by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was normal (9), as were serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (1,2,9).

Treatment Issues Until we have a better understanding of how mutations in the gene responsible for this disease explain the clinical findings, treatment recommendations can be only empirical. It seems prudent to attempt to reduce hypercalciuria, which is at least the major factor promoting nephrolithiasis in these patients, although we do not know to what extent if any it is responsible for the progressive renal insufficiency. Although the major component of the hypercalciuria is excessive intestinal absorption, restriction of dietary calcium should not be prescribed. In idiopathic hypercalciuria, lower calcium intakes are associated with an increased risk of stone events (29,30) and a higher intestinal oxalate absorption (31). In addition, dietary calcium restriction might exacerbate a tendency to bone


141

demineralization. In contrast, thiazide diuretics should promote a positive calcium balance through their effect to stimulate distal tubular calcium transport. Thus, therapy with thiazides seems reasonable, and amiloride may be an attractive alternative in the hypokalemic patient. One patient had a dramatic natriuretic and kaliuretic response to a large dose of hydrochlorothiazide (2), and patients should be followed closely when starting the diuretic. Wrong et al. have described healing of rickets in Dent’s disease following treatment with vitamin D analogs, and recommend small doses of vitamin D (2). It would seem important to monitor urinary calcium excretion as well as clinical markers of bone disease during this therapy. Bianchi and Bosio reported that phosphorus supplementation corrected the hypophosphatemia, high 1,25dihydroxyvitamin D levels, hypercalciuria, and bone mineral density in two boys (32) who were subsequently proven to have a nonsense mutation in CLCN5 (22). Other therapeutic considerations not specific to this disease are also potentially valuable. These include careful attention to urinary tract infection, as in any patient with nephrolithiasis or renal failure, and the possible value of dietary protein restriction or therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, which are of value in other settings of progressive renal failure.

Molecular Basis of X-Linked Nephrolithiasis/Dent’s Disease Positional Cloning of the Disease Gene The clinical physiological observations in patients with Dent’s disease provided evidence of renal tubular dysfunction particularly affecting the proximal nephron, but did not suggest any likely candidate proteins or pathways. Thus, the gene was sought through a positional cloning approach. The largest pedigree was that reported by Frymoyer et al. (1) from the St. Lawrence River valley in New York State, in which it was clear that the inheritance pattern was X-linked recessive (Fig. 1). Thus it was possible to confine the gene mapping strategy to polymorphic DNA markers on the X chromosome. Figure 4 illustrates the multipoint analysis for markers on the short arm of the X chromosome in this pedigree with XRN. These markers included both restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) and PCR-based microsatellite polymorphisms. The highest degree of linkage (LOD = 5.91, recombinant frequency 0.036) was associated with an RFLP identified by the marker M27β at the locus DXS255 near the centromere on the short arm of X (33). Linkage was also established with this locus in two British families (34). More precise localization using additional markers in the family with XRN appeared initially to indicate a location for XRN distinct from and telomeric to that of Dent’s disease (9). However, subsequent cloning of the candidate gene and

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Fig. 4. Location scores of XRN relative to four markers on the short arm of the X chromosome. A location of XRN between DMD and DXS255 was assigned the highest likelihood, with an odds ratio of 2.2 × 107 relative to other localizations. (Reprinted with permission from ref. 33.)

identification of inactivating mutations in patients with both XRN and Dent’s disease established that both disorders are due to mutations in the same gene; the apparent difference in localization was the result of a very mild phenotype in a male with XRN that led to misclassification of his phenotype. In the largest of the British families with Dent’s disease, the absence of a hybridizingband using this marker (M27ß) following restriction digestion of DNA strongly suggested that this region was deleted in affected members of this family (Fig. 5) (34). The size of this deletion was found to be approximately 515 kb, and a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) contig was established that spanned the deletion. Using these YAC clones to screen a human renal cDNA library, several cDNA clones were identified, and sequencing of these revealed that they represented overlapping sequences of a single expressed gene (35). Analysis of this sequence revealed homology to the ClC family of voltage-gated chloride channels. This family includes ClC-0 which participates in generating electric charge in the marine ray Torpedo marmorata, and ClC-1, the major chloride channel in human muscle. The new gene identified in the deletion from patients with Dent’s disease, CLCN5, has 11 coding


143

Fig. 5. Family 12/89. Evidence for a microdeletion detected by M27β in affected males and carrier females in the largest of the British families with Dent’s disease. Affected males with clinical disease are indicated as solid squares, and carrier females, all of whom had LMW proteinuria (with or without hypercalciuria) are indicated as half-filled circles. In this RFLP the probe M27β hybridizes with fragments of several sizes in normal individuals, but no fragments are identified in any of the affected males, consistent with deletion of the region containing this marker, and only one band for this polymorphic X-chromosome marker is identified in each of the carrier females, consistent with hemizygosity. (Adapted with permission from ref. 34.)

exons, a transcript of 9.5 kb, and an open reading frame of 2238 bases. It encodes a protein product, designated ClC-5, of 746 amino acids (36).

Structure and Function of CLC-5 Phylogeny and Electrophysiology The Torpedo ClC-0 channel was isolated by expression cloning by Dr. Thomas Jentsch, and ClC-1, the mammalian homologue, was isolated by the same group by hybridization screening of skeletal muscle libraries using ClC-0 as the probe (37). The homology relationships among members of this channel family are illustrated on Fig. 6. ClC-1 supports the predominant chloride current in mammalian muscle, and is the gene mutated in both the dominant and recessive forms of congenital myotonia (Thomsen’s disease) (38). ClC-3 and ClC-4 are expressed in the kidney as well as a wide variety of other tissues. ClC-Ka and ClC-Kb are expressed exclusively in kidney, and are highly homologous to each other; one or both are on the basolateral membrane of the cells of the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop, and ClC-Kb is mutated in a significant number of patients with the Bartter syndrome (39). Thus, three human diseases so far have been found to be explained by inactivating mutations in three members of this gene family.

144


Fig. 6. Dendrogram representing homology relationships among mammalian members of the ClC family of voltage-gated chloride channels. Not represented is ClC-0, the first member of the ClC family, which was isolated from the electric organ of the eel Torpedo marmorata. (Adapted with permission from ref. 46.)

Members of the ClC family appear to constitute chloride channels as multimeric complexes. Mutations in ClC-1 occurring in Thomsen’s congenital myotonia have a dominant-negative effect on channel function, consistent with this view (37). Dominant-negative mutations have not been identified in ClC-5. Studies of the electrophysiology of the ClC-5 channel reflect the activity of the ClC-5 message expressed alone in Xenopus (40,41), and may or may not reflect the properties of the channel as it occurs in nature. In these studies, the channel has a high selectivity for chloride, is activated at inside-positive membrane voltages, and produces outwardly-rectifying currents (40). The schematic illustration of the ClC-5 amino-acid sequence shown on Fig. 7 represents a predicted topology based on hydropathy analysis that is similar for all members of the ClC family of chloride channel proteins. Recently, Schmidt-Rose and Jentsch confirmed and clarified this topology in studies using a combination of three complementary techniques: in vitro glycosylation scanning, protease protection assays, and cysteine scanning (42). Thus, the intracellular orientation of both the amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal sequences has been confirmed. The segment following the third transmembrane domain (codons 203 - 242) includes a region that is predicted to be hydrophobic in the sequences of ClC-0 and ClC-1 but not ClC-5, and its extracellular position, as pictured here is supported by some experiments (42) but not others (43). The segment from codons 450 to 550 is a broad hydrophobic region


145

in which the number of transmembrane spans is indeterminate (42). Thus, ClC-5 has from 10 to 12 transmembrane domains. Expression of ClC-5 Our knowledge of ClC-5 expression along the nephron was, until recently, limited to the rat, where it has been studied by reverse-transcriptase PCR amplification from microdissected nephron segments (26), in situ hybridization (23), and immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy (44). In the rat, ClC-5 is expressed particularly in the endosomal membranes of the proximal tubule and the intercalated cells of the connecting tubule and collecting duct, where it colocalizes with the proton-ATPase (44). There is also evidence for ClC-5 expression in the thick ascending limb of Henle’s loop (26). These observations have recently been confirmed in the human (45). These findings are consistent with a role for ClC-5 in dissipating charge generated by endosomal acidification, and impairment of this function would explain impaired proximal tubular endosomal reabsorption of LMW proteins. Other physiologic consequences of ClC-5 inactivation, such as hypercalciuria and renal failure, remain unexplained.

Mutations in CLCN5 A total of 32 mutations have been described in 41 families (Fig. 7 and Table 2). In addition, one benign polymorphism has been reported in which a single-base change does not alter the amino-acid sequence. These mutations include 11 missense mutations, each of which alters a single base leading to a change in a single amino acid in a highly conserved sequence, all but one of which are in or near transmembrane domains (Fig. 7). Nine of these have been confirmed by expression in Xenopus oocytes to inactivate channel function partially or completely (see Table 2 for references). One in-frame insertion of a codon for histidine also reduces channel function in expression studies. Six mutations lead to premature termination of translation through frameshift (see Table 2 for references). Two different mutations result in loss of the same 41 amino acids through splice-site disruption; two intragenic deletions lead to loss of 110 and 318 amino acids; and deletions of 180 and 515 kb each result in loss of the entire gene. When expressed in Xenopus, these mutations inactivate the chloride channel (15,18,22,40). There is no correlation between the nature of these mutations and the phenotypic severity of the disease, nor with the presence or absence of variable features such as rickets. For example, the S244L mutation is associated with rickets in all affected males in two families but not in two other families. Phenotypes can range from severe to very mild, and the presence of rickets can vary, even among individuals in a single family sharing the same mutation (1,40).

Conclusion The clinical features of the several syndromes discussed here shared overlapping features, but were distinct enough to suggest that they might be

146 Scheinman and Thakker

Fig. 7. Schematic representation of the amino-acid sequence of ClC-5 with predicted topology, revised from Lloyd et al. (40) to indicate the 32 mutations published to date. Mutations are represented as solid circles indicating the codon affected by missense (M) or nonsense (X) mutations, a solid wedge indicating the position of a frameshift mutation, an open wedge indicating an inframe insertion of a codon for histidine, and brackets indicating the boundaries of intragenic deletions (d) or splice-site mutations (s). Specific mutations correspond to those listed in Table 2.

Codon

Amino acid change

Predicted effect

Expression

Source

Phenotypea

Ref.

TGG→GGG GGC→GTC CTG→CGG TCG→TTG TCG→TTG TCG→TTG TCG→TTG CGT→CCT GGG→ GAG GGT→ CGT GGG→GAG CGG→TGG TCT→CCT GAA→GAT

Trp→Gly Gly→Val Leu→Arg Ser→Leu Ser→Leu Ser→Leu Ser→Leu Arg→Pro Gly →Glu Gly →Arg Gly→Glu Arg→Trp Ser→Pro Glu→Asp

Amino-term. domain D1 helix D3 charge distribution D5 helix D5 helix D5 helix D5 helix at border of D6 D11 charge distrib D11 charge distrib D11 charge distrib D11 charge distrib D11 helix ? (highly conserved)

Abolished Reduced Abolished Reduced

Japan US UK Italy France US US Japan US US Japan Japan UK India

1 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 2, 3, 4, 5 1, 2, 5 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

(18) (22) (40) (40) (5) (8) (14) (15) (40) (22) (16) (16) (40) (22)b

CGA→TGA CGA→TGA GAG→TAG TGG→TGA TGG→TGA TGG→TGA TGG→TAG TGG→TAG CGA→TGA

Arg→Stop Arg→Stop Gu→Stop Trp→Stop Trp→Stop Trp→Stop Trp→Stop Trp→Stop Arg→Stop

Lose 718 aa Lose 712 aa Lose 628 aa Lose 469 aa Lose 469 aa Lose 469 aa Lose 404 aa Lose 404 aa Lose 399 aa

US Canada Japan UK Japan Japan Japan US Japan

1, 3, 4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 3 1, 2 1, 2, 3 1, 2, 3 1

(10) (10) (18) (40) (15) (16) (15) (10) (18)

Reduced Abolished Abolished

Reduced Abolished

Abolished

147

Missense 1 22 2 57 3 200 4 244 244 244 244 5 280 6 506 7 512 8 513 9 516 10 520 11 527 Nonsense 12 28 13 34 14 118 15 279 279 279 16 343 343 17 347

Base change


Table 2 Published Mutations in CLCN5 in Patients with X-Linked Dent’s Disease Nephrolithiasis

Table 2 (cont.) CGA→TGA CGA→TGA CGA→TGA CGA→TGA CGA→TGA

Arg→Stop Arg→Stop Arg→Stop Arg→Stop Arg→Stop

Lose 399 aa Lose 399 aa Lose 98 aa Lose 98 aa Lose 42 aa

ACC in-frame insertion

30:H insertion

? (Charge distrib.)

a

Lose 41 amino acids Lose D2 Lose 41 amino acids Lose D2 ∆40fs→47 Stop ∆44fs→47 Stop ∆229fs→236 Stop ∆403fs→433 Stop ∆520fs→527 Stop ∆695fs→699 Stop

Lose 699 aa Lose 699 aa Lose 510 aa Lose 314 aa Lose 220 aa Lose 47 aa

Lose 110 amino acids Lose 318 amino acids Protein absent Protein absent

Lose D2–D4 Lose D2–D9 No protein No protein

No change

1 1, 2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1, 2, 3, 4 1, 3, 4

(16) (18) (40) (22) (40)

Reduced

UK

1, 2

(22)b

Abolished Abolished

UK UK

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1, 2, 3, 4

(40) (40)

US US Japan Japan Japan Japan

2, 3, 4, (5) 1, 2, 3 1 1 1, 2 1, 2, 3

(10) (10) (16) (17) (17) (15)

UK Japan Japan UK

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 1, 5 1, 2, 3 1

(40)b (18) (16) (34)

Japan

1

(16)

Abolished

Phenotypic features : 1, LMW proteinuria; 2, hypercalciuria; 3, nephrocalcinosis/stones; 4, renal insufficiency; 5, rickets. Clinical data from Prof. Oliver Wong, personal communication. c 32 distinct mutations in 41 families. b


Splice-site 21 132-172 del gt→gg 22 132-172 del gt→at Frameshift 23 40 ∆A 24 44 ∆A 25 229 ∆C, insert TA 26 403 TAT T-T 27 520 T insertion 28 695 ∆C Deletions 29 132–241 2(kb) 30 (n.s.) exons 5–8 (>7kb) 31 (n.s.) entire gene (180 kb) 32 (n.s.) entire gene (515 kb) Polymorphism 484 ACC ACT

Abolished

Japan Japan UK Italy Canada

Abolished Abolished

148

347 347 18 648 648 19 704 Insertion 20 30


149

separate entities. Physiologic findings did not indicate any particularly likely candidates to explain any of these syndromes. However, mapping of three of these syndromes to the same region of Xp, and ultimately the identification in all of these syndromes of mutations in the gene encoding the ClC-5 chloride channel, expressed predominantly in kidney, clarified the relationships among these syndromes and established that they are all variations of a single disease entity, most simply called Dent’s disease. Physiologic information about the role of this chloride channel in kidney function is beginning to emerge, and it appears probable that it plays a role in acidification of endocytotic vesicles in proximal tubule and possibly elsewhere in the nephron. The clinical findings of LMW proteinuria and other signs of proximal tubular dysfunction will probably be explained by this mechanism. Many other questions, particularly regarding the mechanism of hypercalciuria and the variable occurrence of rickets, still need to be addressed. This represents a gratifying example of a molecular genetic approach leading not only to clarification of clinical issues regarding disease syndromes, but also identifying a new gene product of physiologic importance in renal function.

Acknowledgments This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health DK46838 (S.J.S.); the North Atlantic Treaty Organization CGR950114 (S.J.S. and R.V.T.); and the Medical Research Council (U. K.) (R.V.T.).

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37. 38. 39. 40.

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to stone formation in X–linked recessive nephrolithiasis. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 5(3), 858 (Abstract). Scheinman, S. J. (1998) X-linked hypercalciuric nephrolithiasis: Clinical syndromes and chloride channel mutations. Kidney Int. 53, 3–17. Steinmeyer, K., Schwappach, B., Bens, M., Vandewalle, A., and Jentsch, T. J. (1995) Cloning and functional expression of rat CLC–5, a chloride channel related to kidney disease. J. Biol. Chem. 270(52), 31,172–31,177. Gesek, F. A., and Friedman, P. A. (1992) On the mechanism of parathyroid hormone stimulation of calcium uptake by mouse distal convoluted tubule cells. J. Clin. Invest. 90(3), 749–758. Gesek, F. A., and Friedman, P. A. (1992) Mechanism of calcium transport stimulated by chlorothiazide in mouse distal convoluted tubule cells. J. Clin. Invest. 90(2), 429–438. Curhan, G. C., Willett, W. C., Rimm, E. B., and Stampfer, M. J. (1993) A prospective study of dietary calcium and other nutrients and the risk of symptomatic kidney stones. N. Engl. J. Med. 328(12), 833–838. Curhan, G. C., Willett, W. C., Speizer, F. E., Spiegelman, D., and Stampfer, M. J. (1997) Comparison of dietary calcium with supplemental calcium and other nutrients as factors affecting the risk for kidney stones in women. Ann. Int. Med. 126(7), 497–504. Lemann, J., Jr., Pleuss, J. A., Worcester, E. M., Hornick, L., Schrab, D., and Hoffmann, R. G. (1996) Urinary oxalate excretion increases with body size and decreases with increasing dietary calcium intake among healthy adults. Kidney Int. 49(1), 200–208. Bianchi, M. L., and Bosio, M. (1995) A syndrome characterized by hypophosphatemic hyperphosphaturia, hypercalciuria, microglobinuria, nephrocalcinosis and osteopenia. J. Bone Miner. Res. 10 (Suppl), S509 (Abstract). Scheinman, S. J., Pook, M. A., Wooding, C., Pang, J. T., Frymoyer, P. A., and Thakker, R. V. (1993) Mapping the gene causing X-linked recessive nephrolithiasis to Xp11.22 by linkage studies. J. Clin. Invest. 91, 2351–2357. Pook, M. A., Wrong, O., Wooding, C., Norden, A. G. W., Feest, T. G., and Thakker, R. V. (1993) Dent’s disease, a renal Fanconi syndrome with nephrocalcinosis and kidney stones, is associated with a microdeletion involving DXS255 and maps to Xp11.22. Hum. Mol. Genet. 2, 2129–2134. Fisher, S. E., Black, G. C. M., Lloyd, S. E., Wrong, O. M., Thakker, R. V., and Craig, I. W. (1994) Isolation and partial characterization of a human chloride channel gene which is expressed in kidney and is a candidate for Dent’s disease (an hereditary nephrolithiasis). Human Mol. Genet. 3, 2053–2059. Fisher, S. E., Van Bakel, I., Lloyd, S. E., Pearce, S. H. S., Thakker, R. V., and Craig, I. W. (1995) Cloning and characterization of CLCN5, the human kidney chloride channel gene implicated in Dent disease (an X-linked hereditary nephrolithiasis). Genomics 29, 598–606. Jentsch, T. J., Gunther, W., Pusch, M., and Schwappach, B. (1995) Properties of voltagegated chloride channels of the ClC gene family. J. Physiol. (London) 482, 19S–25S. Koch, M. C., Steinmeyer, K., Lorenz, C., Ricker, K., Wolf, F., Otto, M., Zoll, B., LehmannHorn, F., Grzeschik, K. H., and Jentsch, T. J. (1992) The skeletal muscle chloride channel in dominant and recessive human myotonia. Science 257(5071), 797–800. Simon, D. B., Bindra, R. S., Mansfield, T. A., Nelson-Williams, C., Mendonca, E., Stone, R., et al. (1997) Mutations in the chloride channel gene, CLCNKB, cause Bartter’s syndrome type III. Nat. Genet. 17(2), 171–178. Lloyd, S. E., Pearce, S. H. S., Fisher, S. E., Steinmeyer, K., Schwappach, B., Scheinman, S. J., et al. (1996) A common molecular basis for three inherited kidney stone diseases. Nature 379, 445–449.

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41. Lorenz, C., Pusch, M., and Jentsch, T. J. (1996) Heteromultimeric CLC chloride channels with novel properties. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93(23), 13,362–13,366. 42. Schmidt-Rose, T., and Jentsch, T. J. (1997) Transmembrane topology of a CLC chloride channel. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94(14), 7633–7638. 43. Fahlke, C., Yu, H. T., Beck, C. L., Rhodes, T. H., and George, A. L., Jr. (1997) Poreforming segments in voltage-gated chloride channels. Nature 390(6659), 529–532. 44. Gunther, W., Luchow, A., Cluzeaud, F., Vandewalle, A., and Jentsch, T. J. (1998) ClC-5, the chloride channel mutated in Dent’s disease, colocalizes with the proton pump in endocytotically active kidney cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95(14), 8075–8080. 45. Devuyst, O., Christie, P. T., Courtoy, P. J., Beauwens, R., and Thakker, R.V. (1999) Intra-renal and subcellular distribution of the human chloride channel, CLC-5, reveals a pathophysiological basis for Dent’s disease. Hum. Mol. Genet. 8, 247–257 46. Thakker, R. V. (1997) Chloride channels cough up. Nat. Genet. 17(2), 125–127.

Genetics of Tumoral Calcinosis

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Genetics of Tumoral Calcinosis Kandaswamy Jayaraj and Kenneth Lyles Introduction Tumoral calcinosis is a condition characterized by ectopic periarticular calcifications without the involvement of visceral organs. Five salient features of tumoral calcinosis are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

elevated serum phosphorus concentration; elevated serum 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D (calcitriol) concentration; elevated renal tubular phosphate reabsorbtion; ectopic calcifications; and characteristic dental abnormalities.

Extensive vascular calcifications have been reported in this condition (1). Metastatic calcinosis can occur in other conditions that can cause hypercalcemia such as, chronic renal failure, sarcoidosis, milk alkali syndrome, and vitamin D intoxication, and these conditions should be differentiated from tumoral calcinosis (2). Affected subjects usually have normocalcemia, low normal serum parathyroid hormone levels, and a normal renal function. All five of these features are expressed in varying extent in affected individuals. Approximately one-third of the cases are familial. Two subjects have been described with tumoral calcinosis who develop a multi-infarct type of dementia (3). Tumoral calcinosis was initially described by Giard (4) in 1898 followed by Durret (5) in 1899. It was given different names including lipo-calcino-granulomatosis and Teutschlander’s disease, until 1943 when Inclan (6) gave its name “tumoral calcinosis.” There are 2000 reported cases. Initially, tumoral calcinosis was thought to be inherited as autosomal recessive (7) disorder. Subsequent study of 27 subjects of a kindred from North Carolina suggests that the mode of inheritance to be autosomal dominant with variable expression (8).


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Pathogenesis Affected subjects are in positive calcium and phosphorus balance with an elevation of the renal tubular phosphate reabsorbtion threshold, even in the face of elevated serum phosphate levels. It is hypothesized that the basic defect lies in the proximal renal tubular cell, which abnormally reabsorbs phosphorus and also produces excessive calcitriol. The elevated calcitriol levels cause an increase in gastrointestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. The elevated 1,25 hydroxy vitamin-D levels and the gastrointestinal calcium absorbtion are postulated to suppress parathormone levels (9).

Pathology Tumor Macroscopically, tumor can be as large as a football and weigh as much as a kilogram (10) (Fig. 1). It is lobular and has a rubbery firm to hard consistency. The tumors have pinkish, grayish-yellow or white cystic areas with a honey comb appearance on cross-section (Fig. 2). The cysts are filled with a gritty, chalky fluid of calcium carbonate or triple phosphate held in suspension with albumin. Microscopically, the tissue shows examples of foreign body granuloma consisting of calcium with lymphocytes, plasma cells, and multinucleated giant cells. The cystic spaces are separated by fibrous septae that has calcium embedded in it.

Dental Abnormalities A dental lesion has been reported as a phenotypic abnormality that occurs in affected families (8). The lesion consists of short bulbous roots, formation of pulp stones, and radicular dentin deposition in swirls. This lesion is specific for tumoral calcinosis. Dentin abnormality typically occurs in the later part of root formation with radicular dentin deposition and extensive pulp calcifications and formation of pulp stones. It is not clear whether the primary defect is in the odontoblasts or a secondary defect due to elevated phosphorus and 1,25 (OH) 2D levels.

Genetics In 1969 investigators in Galveston, TX, reported a group of patients with idiopathic tumoral calcinosis and concluded that this disease may be inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder, since it involved only one generation (11). Subsequent follow-up and investigations of the family led to a total of 7 members of one 15-member generation of kindred were affected with this condition. Though they concurred with the prior investigators, they could not explain the reason for the 1:1 involvement between the affected and unaffected members of the same family and the elevated 1,25-hydroxycalciferol levels in unaffected family members from a different generation. The authors also queried that this disease may be inherited in a mode other than autosomal recessive fashion (7).


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Fig. 1. Pelvis and femurs radiograph of a 77-yr-old Caucasian male who had hyperphosphatemic tumoral calcinosis. Note the calcific masses in each buttock that were easily palpable. The patient had no family history of this disorder.

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Fig. 2. Right buttock periarticular tumor resected from a 9-yr-old African-American male. The tumor measured 19 × 8 × 4 cm, weighed 400 g, and was enclosed in fibrous tissue. Section of it shows fibrous septae and cystic area with calific material in it. The patient was a member of the North Carolina kindred first described in 1961.

Fig. 3. Family pedigree of family G.

Pedigree Nonaffected II-8 II-9 III-1 III-3 III-4 III-7 III-8 III-12 III-13 III-15 IV-1 IV-2 Mean (± SD) Affected III-2 III-5 III-6 III-9 III-10 III-11 III-14 Mean (± 1SD)

Calcium (mg/dL)

Phosphorus (mg/dL)

25-Hydroxycholecalciferol (ng/mL)

1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol (pg/dL)

48 45 25 24 16 17 15 9 8 3 4 2

10.0 10.0 — — — 10.2 9.9 10.2 10.2 10.1 10.4 10.6 10.1 ± 0.2

3.7 4.5 — — — 4.2 5.0 4.8 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.0 16.3 ± 3.4

15.7 16.0 — — — — 14.0 15.1 21.9 — 14.9 — 53.9 ± 9.6

36.3 49.4 — — — 55.0 58.7 59.6 57.1 63.4 41.8 63.9

25 21 19 14 12 10 6

10.0 9.9 10.2 9.8 9.8 9.4 9.6 9.8 ± 0.3

6.4 5.9 7.4 6.6 6.8 7.3 7.0 6.8 ± 0.5

13.3 10.3 4.1 11.5 8.1 — 7.0 9.0 ± 3.0

73.8 75.5 69.8 89.2 80.0 96.7 96.2 83.0 ± 12.6

9.8 ± 0.5

3.9 ± 0.7

27.7 ± 8.8

33.9 ± 7.8

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Normal values (± 1SD)

Age (yr)


Table 1 Biochemical Parameters of the Studied Individuals of Family G

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Fig. 4. Family pedigree of family-D.

In 1961, a family from central North Carolina was reported with a syndrome in which two brothers and an unrelated man had hetrotopic calcification as periarticular masses, hyperphosphatemia, and angioid streaks of the retina (12). This kindred led other investigators to speculate that hyperphosphatemic tumoral calcinosis was transmitted in an autosomal recessive mode. Later studies of the same North Carolina kindred showed other phenotypic markers (dental lesion and elevated 1,25 [OH] D levels) in addition to periarticular tumors, that suggested an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable clinical expressivity.

Analysis We review data from the two kindreds below to gain insight into the possible genetic mode of disease transmission. We label the Galveston family as family G (Fig. 3 and Table 1), and the North Carolina family as family D (Fig. 4 and Table 2). Both the families were African-American families and there was no reported consanguinity in either family. Analysis of Family G 1. The index generation (III) has affected individuals only in one generation. 2. Affected to unaffected members ratio within the family was approx 1:1. 3. Biochemical profile of the parents of the index generation (II8 and II9) shows that the mother had significant elevation of calcitriol. 4. Similar findings are found in the subsequent generation of family G (IV1 and IV2). 5. Even among the unaffected members of family G had an elevated mean phosphorus (4.9) and 1,25 (OH) Vit. D levels (53.9). The presence of elevated serum phosphorus and elevated calcitriol levels as disease markers, suggest a variable clinical expressivity of tumoral calcinosis.

Pedigree I-1 II-3 II-5 II-7 III-8 III-10 III-12 III-13 III-15 III-16 III-17 IV-6 IV-7 IV-10 IV-11 Normal Range a b

Age (yr) 87 56 52 49 30 20 21 20 30 27 15 8 6 12 8

Sex

Calcium (mg/dL)

Phosphorus (mg/dL)

M M M F F F F M F F M M M M M

8.91 8.70 10.00 8.80 9.90 9.08 9.32 8.82 8.72 8.70 8.80 8.80 9.63 8.92 8.88

3.11 5.50 6.10 4.03 4.90 4.03 3.56 4.04 3.03 2.65 4.83 7.30 4.99 4.35 4.96

8.70–10.2

b

250HD 1,25-(OH)2D (ng/mL) (pg/mL) 24.8 71.4 41.3 37.9 17.3 18.2 40.9 22.2 36.5 34.5 60.8 18.2 NA 60.8 29.5

72.1 83.5 59.8 60.5 87.7 45.6 34.1 25.8 80.6 27.6 73.0 88.6 30.2 73.3 NAa

15–80

19–50

Dental lesion

Clinically apparent tumors

Edentulous Edentulous Yes Edentulous No No No No No No No Yes No Yes No

No Yes Yes Yes No No No No No No No Yes No No No


Table 2 Biochemical Parameters of the Studied Individuals of Family D

NA, Not available. Age-specific normal range: 4.5 –6. 5 (children 2–8 yr); 3.5–6.0 (children 8–16); 2.5 – 4.5 (adults).

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Fig. 5. Re-creation of pedigree of family G.

The 1:1 mode of affection favors an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Dental lesions were not documented in the family. In family D, the disease is present in all generations. The clinical expression varies from a simple dental abnormality, asymptomatic elevations of phosphate and calcitriol to periarticular calcific masses with dental lesions, and biochemical abnormalities. The disease may skip generations. We believe that these findings suggest an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable expression and incomplete penetrance. Figure 5 is a re-creation of the family G with the available data.

Conclusion We postulate that the mode of inheritance of tumoral calcinosis is autosomal dominant with variable clinical expression and incomplete penetrance. Further studies of affected kindred will be necessary to confirm our hypothesis.


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Acknowledgments We appreciate artistic support from the Durham VAMC medical media service. This work was supported by the VA medical research service, A611268 from NIA, HD 30442 from NICHHD and RR-30 from the division of research resources, General clinical research centers program, NIH.

References 1. White, M. P. (1996) Tumoral Calcinosis. Primer on the Metabolic and Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism, 3rd ed., Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia. 2. Quarles, L. D., Murphy, G., Econs, M. J., Martinez, S., Lobaugh, B., and Lyles, K. W. (1991) Uremic tumoral calcinosis: a disorder associated with aberrant vitamin D homeostasis. Am. J. Kidney Dis. 18 (6), 760–710. 3. Beck, D. and Lyles, K. W. (1998) Dementia associated with tumoral calcinosis. Clin. Neurol. Neurosurg. 100, 121–125 . 4. Giard, A. (1898) Sur la calcification hibernale. CR Soc. Biol . 10, 1013–1015. 5. Duret, M. H. (1899) Tumers multiples et singulietes des bourses sereuses. Bull. Soc. Anat. Paris 74, 725–733. 6. Inclan, A. (1943) Tumoral calcinosis. JAMA 121, 490–495. 7. Prince, M. J., Schaefer, P. C., Goldsmith, R. S., and Chausmer, A. B. (1982) Hyperphosphatemic tumoral calcinosis. Ann. Intern. Med. 96, 586–591. 8. Lyles, K. W., Burkes, E. J., Ellis, G. J., Lucas, K. J., Dolan, E. A., and Drezner, M. K. (1985) Genetic transmission of tumoral calcinosis; Autosomal dominant with variable clinical expressivity, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 60(6), 1093–1096. 9. Lyles, K. W., Halsey, D. L., Friedman, N. E., and Lobaugh, B. (1988) Correlations of serum concentrations of 1,25. Dihydroxy vitamin D, Phosphorus and parathyroid hormone in tumoral calcinosis. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 67(1), 88–92. 10. Ghormley, R. K., Manning, G. F., Power, M. H., and McCrary, W. E. (1941) Multiple calcified bursae and calcified cysts in the soft tissues. Trans. Western Surg. Assn. 51, 292–309. 11. Baldursson, H., Evans, B. E., Dodge, W. F., and Jackson, W. T. (1969) Tumoral calcinosis with hyperphosphaternia. J. Bone Joint Surg. 51A(5), 913–925. 12. Mc.Phaul, J. J. and Engel, F. L. (1961) Heterotopic calcification hyperphosphatemia and angioid streaks of the retina, Am. J. Med. 31, 488–492.

Fibrous Dysplasia and the McCune–Albright Syndrome

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Fibrous Dysplasia and the McCune–Albright Syndrome Lee S. Weinstein Introduction Fibrous dysplasia (FD) was first described over 50 years ago (1). The majority of patients with FD have a single bone lesion (monoostotic fibrous dysplasia, MOFD). The remainder have multiple lesions (polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, POFD) and of these, a small fraction have the McCune–Albright syndrome (MAS), characterized by the coexistence of FD, hyperpigmented caféau-lait skin lesions, and multiple hyperfunctional endocrine abnormalities. Although the relative incidence of these three entities has been reported to be 70% MOFD, 30% POFD, and less than 3% MAS (2), the relative incidence of MAS is higher if one considers the co-occurrence of FD and any other MAS manifestation to be a form-fruste of MAS. The femur, tibia, humerus, ribs, and craniofacial bones are most commonly affected (2–4) whereas the bones of the hands, feet, and spine are usually spared. In long bones FD is typically found in the metaphyses and diaphyses, generally sparing the epiphyses (3,5–7). FD can result in skeletal deformities (leg length discrepancy, shepard’s crook deformity, facial assymmetry), recurrent pathological fractures, pain, and nerve compression (3,4,8). Rarely chest wall deformity may lead to restrictive pulmonary disease (2,3). High output cardiac failure due to arteriovenous shunting through bone lesions in patients with extensive disease has been reported (9). In many patients (particularly those with MOFD), FD is asymptomatic and noted as an incidental radiologic finding (3). FD is usually diagnosed in the first decade of life and often progresses until the third decade, at which time it usually becomes quiescent (4,8). In children, FD may be associated with advanced bone age (6,10). In some cases the onset of puberty, pregnancy, or the use of oral contraceptives may be associated with progression of FD (3,11). Active disease is usually assoThe Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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ciated with mildly to moderately increased serum alkaline phosphatase and other biochemical markers of bone turnover (12). FD may undergo malignant degeneration, most often to osteosarcoma and occasionally to chondrosarcoma, fibrosarcomas, or other types of sarcoma (13–15). It is possible, although not proven, that radiotherapy increases the risk of malignant transformation. Some FD patients also have multple intramuscular myxomas, often located in the vicinity of the FD lesions (Mazaboud’s syndrome) (16).

McCune–Albright Syndrome (MAS) MAS (5,17) has been generally defined as the co-occurrence of sexual precocity, POFD, and areas of skin hyperpigmentation (café-au-lait spots). However MAS can present with multiple other endocrine abnormalities, including thyroid nodules and hyperthyroidism, adrenal hyperplasia and hypercortisolism, pituitary tumors with acromegaly and hyperprolactinemia, and hypophosphatemic rickets or osteomalacia (6,8,18). Other nonendocrine abnormalities, affecting the liver, heart, thymus, spleen, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, and brain, are also occasionally present. (19,20). Therefore some MAS patients may present with only two of the features of the classic triad or one of these features and another endocrine or nonendocrine abnormality (8,21,22). The café-au-lait spots appear as hyperpigmented flat macules which become more obvious with age (6,8). Café-au-lait spots in MAS generally have irregular borders (‘‘coast of Maine’’), in contrast to those in neurofibromatosis (‘‘coast of California’’) (5). The café-au-lait spots are often on one side of the body (which corresponds to the side with FD) and generally do not cross the midline. They are usually arranged in a segmental pattern following the developmental lines of Blaschko (23). Histologically the pigmented macules in MAS and neurofibromatosis appear similar. However, the melanocytes within neurofibromatosis lesions develop giant pigmented granules in response to DOPA while those within MAS lesions do not (10). Sexual precocity in girls usually presents as premature menses followed by breast development (6,8,24). Enlarged ovarian follicles appear and regress in a cyclic manner accompanied by cyclical changes in serum estrogen (22,24,25). There is no evidence of ovulation and sometimes enlarged follicles remain as ovarian cysts. Females with MAS generally undergo normal adolescent development with normal reproduction in adult life. Boys present with precocious puberty less commonly than girls (6,8). In both males and females sexual precocity is gonadotropin-independent (26). Sexual precocity in either sex is usually associated with advanced bone age. MAS patients may present with thyroid abnormalities at any age, even soon after birth, usually with benign nodular or diffuse goiter detected by physical exam or ultrasound (6,8,27). The nodules usually show increased radioiodine uptake (28) and are often associated with hyperthyroidism. Hypercortisolism in


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MAS often presents as decreased growth rate in children and can occur very early in life (6,8). MAS patients with hypercortisolism might be more prone to unexplained sudden death after adrenalectomy (20). Patients have adrenal nodular hyperplasia or adrenal adenomas which secrete cortisol in an ACTH-independent manner (6,8,29). Acromegaly and hyperprolactinemia in association with pituitary adenoma or nodular hyperplasia are also present in a small number of patients (6,8). Whereas acromegaly in MAS may be associated with hyperprolactinemia, hyperprolactinemia in the absence acromegaly has not been reported in MAS. Acromegaly in young children will accelerate bone growth and the deformities resulting from craniofacial FD may sometimes appear similar to those of acromegaly. No other pituitary hormones have been reported to be hypersecreted in MAS. Some patients with MAS or POFD present with hyperphosphaturic hypophosphatemic rickets or osteomalacia in the absence of hyperparathyroidism (6,8,30–33). Some have suggested that hypophosphatemia results from inappropriate secretion of a phosphaturic factor from FD lesions, similar to the mechanism of tumor-associated hypophosphaturic hypophosphatemic rickets (31,34), although others have suggested that there is a primary defect in the renal proximal tubule (35,36). MAS patients with hypophosphatemia were demonstrated to have increased basal urinary cAMP (33), consistent with the presence of a defect in the proximal tubule that leads to abnormal cAMP production. The coexistence of hyperparathyroidism (due to parathyroid adenoma) and FD (primarily MOFD) has been reported (10,37–39). Surgical correction of hyperparathyroidism did not result in regression of the bone lesions. It is possible that most, if not all, of these patients have the autosomal dominant syndrome of hyperparathyroidism and fibro-osseous tumors, a distinct clinical and genetic entity that has been subsequently recognized (39–41). Hyperparathyroidism has not been associated with MAS. There are a small number of MAS patients who present with one or more nonendocrine abnormalities, which are sometimes associated with increased morbidity and mortality (20). Nonendocrine manifestations occur more frequently in patients with the early development of extensive POFD or hypercortisolism (4,20). These abnormalities may include severe neonatal jaundice, elevated liver enzymes, cardiomegaly, persistent tachycardia and unexplained sudden death, thymic hyperplasia, myelofibrosis with extramedullary hematopoiesis, gastrointestinal polyps, pancreatitis, breast and endometrial cancer, microcephaly, and other neurological abnormalities (8,20).

Genetics All forms of FD, with very rare exceptions, occur sporadically in a single family member. There is one report of POFD in multiple family members (42). Two other reports suggest the inheritance of disease from mother to daughter (37,43). In one of these families both mother and daughter had hyperparathyroidism and FD (37). It is possible that this latter family has the autosomal dominant

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syndrome of hyperparathyroidism and fibro-osseous tumors (40,41). Two brothers with POFD were reported to be born from nonconsanguinous unaffected parents (44). There are no reported instances of MAS in more than one family member.

Radiological Findings Nuclear scintigraphy with 99m-technetium methylene diphosphonate is the most sensitive method to survey the skeleton for FD (45). FD lesions have also been reported to have increased gallium-67 uptake (46,47). One MOFD lesion has been recently demonstrated to have increased peripheral activity on single photon emission compated tomography (SPECT) scanning (48). On standard radiographs FD lesions are typically cystic and appear to originate in the medullary cavity and expand into the surrounding cortical bone (3,6,7). Usually the surrounding cortex is thin but in some cases becomes sclerotic. The lesions are usually radiolucent or exhibit a ground-glass appearance but occasionally may be sclerotic or have a mixed appearance (7). Calcifications may be visible in those lesions with a large cartilagenous component (49). Other bone lesions with a similar radiographic appearance to FD include Paget’s disease, osteitis fibrosa cystica, bone cysts, giant cell tumor, fibroma, chondroma, and other types of bone tumors (3,7). Young patients with POFD or MAS may show advanced bone age (6,10). Decreased bone density or radiographic features of rickets or osteomalacia is usually present in patients with accompanying hypophosphatemia or hypercortisolism (6,8,50). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently been shown to be useful in defining the extent of disease, particularly in areas in which standard X-rays are not very sensitive, such as the spine (51,52). Usually the lesions are hypodense on T1-weighted images but may be hypo- or hyperdense on T2- or STIR-weighted images (51–53). It has been suggested that lesions with a large amount of cartilage (51), decreased cellularity, or cystic changes (53), are hyperdense on T2-weighted images whereas those that have more cellularity and bony trabeculae or sclerotic changes are hypodense on T2-weighted images (51,53).

Pathology of FD FD lesions expand concentrically from the medullary cavity to the cortical bone and are composed primarily of cells which appear like long, spindle-shaped fibroblasts and myofibroblasts arranged in parallel arrays or whirls and embedded in a collagen matrix (Fig. 1)(54). In some areas the matrix may appear myxomatous. The fibroblast-like cells are actually of the osteogenic lineage, since they express alkaline phosphatase and proteins associated with the early stages of osteoblast maturation (55). Embedded within the hypercellular matrix are spicules of immature woven bone mostly lined by flat osteoblasts with retracted cell bodies, forming pseudo-lacunar spaces (54,55). Unlike normal woven bone, collagen bundles are arranged perpendicular to the bone-forming surface (55). Also, these


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Fig 1. Histological section from a lesion of FD (H & E). Hypercellular tissue containing elongated fibroblast-like cells in a collagenous matrix dominate the section. One spicule of immature woven bone is present. Note that the bone spicule is surrounded in many areas by flattened cells which are morphologically different than normal cuboidal osteoblasts. There are no cartilaginous elements in this section.

trabeculae have large osteocytic lacunae each accommodating multiple osteocytes (hyperosteocytic bone) (55). The cells and matrix of woven bone trabeculae in FD contain osteonectin, but not osteopontin or bone sialoprotein, proteins which are present in normal woven bone (55). Replacement of the woven bone by mature lamellar bone, which normally occurs during bone development, does not occur in FD lesions. Some FD lesions have islands of hyaline cartilage surrounded by fibroblast-like cells (54). The cartilage generally appears normal and can undergo endochondral ossification. In rare cases the cartilaginous component is the dominant feature (termed fibrocartilaginous dysplasia) (49). Although this can be confused with chondrosarcoma, the presence of surrounding fibro-osseous tissue usually makes the diagnosis of FD straightforward. Endochondral ossification in these lesions may produce stippled or ring-like calcifications on radiographs. Some lesions of FD contain calcified spherules, a typical feature of cementoossifying fibroma. These two benign fibrous lesions can be difficult to distinguish histologically and may represent a histological spectrum of a similar process (56). Osteitis fibrosa cystica and Paget’s disease also look histologically similar to FD. Paget’s disease occurs in later life and osteitis fibrosa cystica is associated with hyperparathyroidism or uremia. Neither of these lesions contain cartiginous islands.

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FD expands into the outer cortical bone resulting in cortical thinning and in some cases concentric bulging of the cortex. Peripherally there are increased numbers of osteoclasts which have increased numbers of nuclei per cell (57) and spicules of normal lamellar bone undergoing active osteoclastic resorption (55). In rare cases FD may be more aggressive, resulting in exophytic protuberances (58) or invasion into surrounding soft tissue (59). These lesions are benign and do not metastasize. FD can undergo malignant degeneration, usually to osteosarcoma and less commonly to chondrosarcoma, fibrsarcoma, or malignant fibrohistiosarcoma (14,15).

Pathogenesis of FD and MAS It was noted that the cutaneous hyperpigmentation in MAS often follows the developmental lines of Blaschko. Happle proposed that MAS is caused by a dominant somatic mutation occurring early in development which would result in a mosaic with the widespead distribution of genetically abnormal cells (23). This model predicts that the specific constellation of abnormalities within a given patient is determined by the distribution of mutant-bearing cells. The next important step in defining the pathogenesis of MAS was the demonstration that the abnormal endocrine glands in MAS patients were functioning autonomously (6,26,28,60–62). cAMP is known to stimulate growth and hormonal secretion in many endocrine glands (including the thyroid, adrenal cortex, gonads, and somatotrophs) and the production of melanin pigment in melanocytes (6,61,63,64). Therefore, a widespread defect leading to excess intracellular cAMP could explain many of the clinical manifestations of MAS. The heterotrimeric G proteins are a family of proteins that couple a large number of receptors for extracellular ligands to intracellular enzymes and ion channels. Each G protein is a heterotrimer composed of a specific α, β, and γ subunit (65). The α-subunit binds guanine nucleotide and interacts with specific receptors and effectors. In the inactive state, the guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound α-subunit is associated with a noncovalently bound βγ dimer. When a receptor is activated by binding of a specific ligand (e.g., hormone), it interacts with and activates specific G protein heterotrimers, leading to the exchange of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) for GDP on the α-subunit and dissociation of the α-subunit from βγ. GTP-bound α-subunits regulate the activity of specific effectors. The α-subunit of Gs (Gsα) stimulates the activity of adenylyl cyclases, a family of enzymes that catalyze cAMP synthesis. Each α-subunit has an intrinsic GTPase activity which ‘‘turns off’’ the G protein by hydrolyzing bound GTP to GDP (66). Modifications which disrupt the GTPase activity will result in constitutive activation. Constitutive activation of Gs leads to overproduction of cAMP. Mutations which encode substitutions of amino acid residues Arg201 or Gln227 in Gsα have been found in human thyroid and growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumors and shown to result in constitutive activation due to decreased GTPase activity (67–71). Since both thyroid tumors and acromegaly are present in MAS patients, it seemed likely that activating Gsα mutations might be present in a more widespread distribution in MAS.


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Activating Gsα mutations encoding Arg201 substitutions (but not Gln227 substitutions) have been found in tissues from many MAS patients (19,20,72). Subsequently, elevated cAMP levels have been demonstrated in liver tissue and urine from MAS patients (33,73). One specific mutation (Arg201 to His or Cys) is detected within multiple tissues of each patient. The mutation is present in variable abundance in different tissues, consistent with a widespread distribution of a population of cells harboring a dominant somatic mutation. These mutations are present in virtually all hyperplastic or adenomatous endocrine tissues examined and in a café-au-lait lesion from one MAS patient (74). Mutations are also found in many nonendocrine tissues, some of which are abnormal (e.g., liver, heart, thymus) (19,20). The role of G s activation in the pathogenesis of these nonendocrine manifestations is not well established. It is of interest that in Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), Gsα loss-of-function mutations are associated with ectopic bone formation and resistance to multiple hormones which stimulate cAMP production (75,76). Activating Gsα mutations are also present in bone lesions from MAS patients (72,77) and in cells cultured from two MOFD lesions (78). MOFD appears to result from the same somatic mutation as in MAS, but in a limited tissue distribution. An Arg201 to Ser was identified in abnormal bone from one severely affected patient (79). In most bone lesions the mutant and wild-type alleles are present in roughly equal amounts, suggesting that the vast majority of the cells within these lesions are abnormal. This is consistent with the notion that FD results from excessive proliferation and abnormal differentiation of a mesenchymal osteoprogenitor cell (1,72). In cultured cells, parathyroid hormone and forskolin (both stimulators of cAMP production) inhibit (80,81) whereas Gsα antisense oligonucleotides promote osteoblast differentiation (82). Cells within FD lesions have increased basal intracellular cAMP levels (57,83) and an increased proliferation rate (83) but appear poorly differentiated morphologically and express proteins associated with early but not late stages of osteoblast differentiation (55,83,84). cAMP has also been shown to alter the morphology of cultured osteoblasts, resulting in a retracted, stellate appearance similar to cells present in FD (55). Upon binding of cAMP to the regulatory subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), these subunits dissociate from the catalytic subunits, allowing the catalytic subunits to translocate to the nucleus and phosphorylate cAMP-responsive transcription factors such as CREB and CREM (Fig. 2). Phosphorylated CREB can then activate cAMP-responsive genes, such as c-fos (85). Fos, the product of c-fos, binds with Jun to form the heterodimer AP-1, which binds to the promoters of many genes and regulates their expression. AP-1 is highly expressed during the early proliferative phase of osteoblast development and its expression markedly decreases upon the onset of differentiation (86). The gene for osteocalcin, a late marker of osteoblast differentiation, has AP-1 binding sites within two activating regions of its promoter (a vitamin D responsive element and the osteocalcin box). Binding of AP-1 to these regions suppresses both basal and vitamin D-induced expression of osteocalcin

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Fig. 2. Possible mechanisms by which activated Gs in osteogenic cells may lead to FD. Gs activation increases the activity of the effector adenylyl cyclase, leading to increased intracellular cAMP levels. Binding of cAMP to the regulatory subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) allows release of its catalytic subunits, which translocate to the nucleus and phosphorylate proteins such as CREB and CREM. Phosphorylated CREB binds to promoters of cAMP-responsive immediateearly genes (e.g., c-fos) and increases their expression. Fos , the product of c-fos, binds with Jun to form AP-1. AP-1 is a transcription factor which increases the expression of growth-related genes and decreases the expression of osteoblast-specific genes, such as osteocalcin (phenotype suppression). CREB-P and AP-1 may both stimulate the transcription of the IL-6 gene. IL-6 may be important in recruiting osteoclasts and stimulating osteoclastic bone resorption.

(86). Therefore AP-1 expression during the proliferative stage of osteoblast development can suppress the expression of genes associated with osteoblast differentiation (phenotype suppression). Several lines of evidence suggest that Fos overexpression in osteogenic precursors plays an important role in the pathogenesis of FD. Activated Gs has been shown to chronically increase the expression of c-fos (87) and Fos has been shown to be overexpressed in FD lesions (88). The abnormal expression of Fos was localized to the stellate cells presumed to be immature osteoblastic precursors.


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Fos overexpression in transgenic mice leads to abnormal bone remodeling and bone lesions which are similar to FD (89). Fos is overexpressed in many human osteosarcomas (90) and mice which overexpress Fos eventually develop osteosarcomas (91). Therefore Fos may play a role in the development of malignant bone lesions in patients with FD. In summary, the primary defect in FD is likely to be excess proliferation and abnormal differentiation of osteoblast precursors resulting from excess intracellular cAMP and abnormal expression of downstream transcription factors such as Fos. Another characteristic feature of FD is increased osteoclastic bone resorption, which allows the abnormal medullary cells to expand into normal cortical bone. Cells isolated from FD lesions from two MAS patients had increased IL-6 (as well as IL-11) production which could not be stimulated further by added cAMP but could be decreased by the cAMP antagonist Rp-8Br-cAMP (57). It is therefore likely that increased IL-6 production is the direct result of increased intracellular cAMP, especially since the IL-6 promoter has both cAMP response element and AP-1 sites. IL-6 overproduction is known to lead to increased numbers of osteoclasts and osteoclastic bone resorption, and it seems likely that IL-6 overproduction by osteogenic cells in FD leads to increased bone resorption. The platelet-derived growth factor β chain (PDGF-B) is expressed at abnormally high levels in FD and other fibrous bone lesions (92). PDGF-B may stimulate fibroblast proliferation and osteoclast activation. Increased levels of sex steroid receptors in cells from FD lesions (84,93) and the ability of sex steroids to increase PDGF-B expression (92) may explain why FD sometimes progresses in puberty or pregnancy (11).

Management of FD In many cases no specific therapy is warranted since FD is often asymptomatic and nonprogressive. Fractures usually heal well with conservative management (4). Surgery is required for nonhealing fractures, severe pain or deformity, or nerve compression (2,4,94,95). Surgery usually involves excision or curretage and bone grafting. Radiotherapy is generally ineffective and may increase the risk of sarcomatous degeneration (13–15). The important role of osteoclastic resorption in the expansion of FD lesions (57) suggests that osteoclastic resorption inhibitors might be effective therapeutic agents. Case reports have suggested that calcitonin, etidronate, and clodronate provide little benefit (50,96,97). Short- and long-term use of intravenous pamidronate resulted in significantly decreased bone pain in all patients and radiological improvement in some but not all patients (98–100). Biochemical markers of bone resorption were also decreased after pamidronate. It should be noted that no blinded, controlled prospective studies with pamidronate have been performed (101). Reversible growth-plate widening was observed in a 13-yr-old patient (98,99). Therefore younger patients on pamidronate need to be followed closely and all patients should be given calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent hypocalcemia and elevated PTH.

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94. Grabias, S. L. and Campbell, C. J. (1977) Fibrous dysplasia. Orthop. Clin. North Am. 8, 771–783. 95. Edgerton, M. T., Persing, J. A., and Jane, J. A. (1985) The surgical treatment of fibrous dysplasia: with emphasis on recent contributions from cranio-maxillofacial surgery. Ann. Surg. 202, 459–479. 96. Hjelmstedt, A. and Ljunghall, S. (1979) A case of Albright syndrome treated with calcitonin. Acta Orthop. Scand. 50, 251–253. 97. Grant, D. B., Savage, M. O., and Russell, R. G. G. (1982) McCune–Albright syndrome with severe progressive polyostotic fibrous dysplasia: failure of experimental treatment with salmon calcitonin and dichlorodiphosphonate. Pediatr. Res. 16, 899. 98. Liens, D., Delmas, P. D., and Meunier, P. J. (1994) Long-term effects of intravenous pamidronate in fibrous dysplasia of bone. Lancet 343, 953–954. 99. Chapurlat, R. D., Meunier, P. J., Liens, D., and Delmas, P. D. (1997) Long-term effects of intravenous pamidronate in fibrous dysplasia of bone. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 1746–1752. 100. Weinstein, R. S. (1997) Long-term aminobisphosphonate treatment of fibrous dysplasia: spectacular increase in bone density. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 1314–1315. 101. Czerwiec, F. S., Shenker, A., Feuillan, P., and Collins, M. (1997) Further study of the therapy for fibrous dysplasia is necessary [letter]. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, 128–130.

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The Molecular Basis for Parathyroid Hormone Resistance in Pseudohypoparathyroidism Michael A. Levine Introduction The term “pseudohypoparathyroidism” (PHP) describes a collection of disorders that share in common biochemical hypoparathyroidism (i.e., hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia), increased secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH), and target tissue unresponsiveness to the biological actions of PTH. Thus the pathophysiology of PHP differs fundamentally from true hypoparathyroidism, in which PTH secretion rather than PTH responsiveness is defective. In their original report of PHP, Fuller Albright and his associates described the failure of patients with this syndrome to show a phosphaturic response to injected parathyroid extract (1). These observations led to the prescient speculation that biochemical hypoparathyroidism in PHP was due to an inability of the target organs, bone and kidney, to respond to PTH. During the more than fifty years since Albright’s original description of PHP we have learned much about PTH signaling through extensive clinical and biochemical studies of these unusual patients. In addition to functional hypoparathyroidism, the patients described by Albright exhibited a distinctive constellation of developmental and skeletal defects, subsequently referred to as Albright’s hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), that include a round face, short, stocky physique, brachydactyly, heterotopic ossification, and mental retardation (Fig. 1). The relationship between the biochemical abnormalities (hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia) and AHO could not be explained by Albright, and yet remains unclarified. Indeed, in certain families some affected members may show both AHO and PTH resistance whereas other family members may have AHO without evidence of any endocrine dysfunction, a disorder Albright termed “pseudo-pseudohypoparathyroidism” The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Fig. 1. Typical features of Albright hereditary osteodystrophy. (A) A young woman with characteristic features of AHO; note the short stature, disproportionate shortening of the limbs, obesity, and round face. (B) Radiograph of patient’s showing marked shortening of 4th and 5th metacarpals. (C) Archibald sign, the replacement of “knuckles” with “dimples” due to the marked shortening of the metacarpal bones. (D) Brachydactyly of the hand, note thumb sign (“Murderer’s thumb” or “potter’s thumb”) and shortening of the 4th and 5th digits.


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(pseudoPHP) to emphasize the physical similarities but biochemical differences between these patients and patients with PHP (2). The diagnostic classification of PHP is further extended by the existence of additional variants in which patients manifest PTH resistance and biochemical hypoparathyroidism but lack any of the features of AHO (3,4). A classification of the many different forms of PHP is presented in Table 1.

General Pathophysiology Characterization of the molecular basis for PHP commenced with the observations by Chase and Aurbach that cAMP mediates many of the actions of PTH on kidney and bone, and that administration of biologically active PTH to normal subjects leads to a significant increase in the urinary excretion of nephrogenous cAMP and phosphate (5). The PTH infusion test remains the most reliable test available for the diagnosis of PHP, and enables distinction between several variants of the syndrome (Fig. 2). Patients with PHP type I fail to show an appropriate increase in urinary excretion of both nephrogenous cAMP and phosphate (5), suggesting that an abnormality in the renal PTH receptor adenylyl cyclase complex that produces cAMP is the basis for impaired PTH responsiveness. Subsequent studies by Bell et al., in which administration of dibutyryl cAMP to patients with PHP type I produced a phosphaturic response, provided additional support for this theory, and demonstrated that the renal response mechanism to cAMP was intact (6). These studies have led to the conclusion that proximal renal tubule cells are unresponsive to PTH. By contrast, cells in other regions of the kidney appear responsive to PTH. For example, renal handling of calcium (and sodium) in response to exogenous PTH appears to be normal in patients with PHP type I (7). In addition, urinary calcium excretion is markedly lower in patients with PHP type I than in patients with hypoparathyroidism (8,9). These observations imply that calcium reabsorption in the distal tubule is responsive to circulating PTH in subjects with PHP type I, and suggest that PTH is capable to generating sufficient amounts of cAMP, or other second messengers (e.g. cytosolic calcium or diacylglycerol), in these cells to evoke a physiological response (Fig. 3). Administration of PTH to subjects with PHP type II, a far less common form of the disorder, elicits a normal increase in nephrogenous cAMP that is not accompanied by an appropriate phosphaturic response (4). These results are consistent with a biochemical defect that is distal to PTH-stimulated generation of cAMP. The defective renal response to PTH in PHP type I has led to the general assumption that all PTH target cells, including bone cells, are resistant to PTH. This hypothesis remains unproved, however. The notion that bone cells are unresponsive to PTH has been drawn from observations that patients with PHP type I are hypocalcemic and that administration of PTH does not increase the plasma calcium level. However, patients with PHP type I frequently develop signs of hyperparathyroid bone disease (10,11), and clinical, roentgenographic, or

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Table 1 Classification and Characteristic Features of the Various Forms of Pseudohypoparathyroidism PHP type Ia Physical appearance

PseudoPHP

PHP type Ib

PHP type Ic

PHP type II

Normal hereditary

Albright osteodystrophy

Normal

Defective Defective

Normal Normal

Defective Defective

Defective Defective

Normal Defective

Serum calcium level

Low or (rarely) Normal

Normal

Low

Low

Low

Hormone resistance

Generalized

Absent

Limited to PTH target tissues

Generalized

Limited to PTH target tissues

Gsα activity

Reduced

Reduced

Normal

Normal

Normal

Autosomal dominant (most cases)

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown (see text)

Unknown

Unknown

Response to PTH Urine cAMP Urine phosphorous

Inheritance

Molecular defect

Autosomal dominant

Heterozygous mutations in the GNAS1 gene

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Albright hereditary osteodystrophy, may be subtle or (rarely) absent


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Fig. 2. Urinary cAMP excretion in response to an infusion of bovine parathyroid extract (300 USP units). The peak response in normal subjects (∆) as well as those with pseudoPHP (not shown) is 50- to 100-fold times basal. Subjects with PHP type Ia (open circles) or PHP type Ib (closed circles) show only a two- to five-fold increase. Urinary cAMP is expressed as nanomoles per 100 mL of GF, UcAMP (nanomoles per 100 mL GF) = UcAMP (nanomoles/dL) X SCre (mg/dL) / UCre (mg/dL). (Reprinted by permission from Levine et al. 1986.)

histologic evidence of increased bone turnover and demineralization are not uncommon, particularly in subjects with PHP type Ib (Fig 4). These clinical indicators of PTH action are consistent with the in vitro demonstration of normal adenylyl cyclase responsiveness to PTH of cultured bone cells from one patient with PHP type Ib and osteitis fibrosa cystica (12). Patients with PHP may develop additional abnormalities in bone metabolism, including osteomalacia (10), rickets (13) and osteopenia (14), which may result from excessive PTH or deficient 1,25(OH)2D3. This unusual pattern of skeletal responsiveness to PTH may reflect the existence of two distinct signaling pathways in bone cells: the remodeling system and the mineral mobilization or homeostatic system. The bone remodeling system appears to be more responsive to PTH in patients with PHP type I than the homeostatic system, an observation that may reflect the lesser dependence of the remodeling system upon normal serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D. Circulating levels of 1,25(OH)2D are typically low in patients with PHP type I (15), and lead to the development of

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Fig. 3. Cell surface receptors for PTH are coupled to two classes of G proteins. Gs mediates stimulation of adenylyl cyclase (AC) and the production of cAMP, which in turn activates protein kinase A (PKA). Gq stimulates phospholipase C (PLC) to form the second messengers inositol-(1,4,5)-trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG) from membrane bound phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate. IP 3 increases intracellular calcium (Ca2+) and DAG stimulates protein kinase C (PKC) activity. Each G protein consists of a unique α chain and a βγ dimer.

hypocalcemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism in these patients. As in chronic renal failure, elevated levels of serum PTH eventually overcome the 1,25(OH)2D dependency for skeletal remodeling but not for calcium mobilization. A role for 1,25(OH)2D in modulating skeletal responsiveness to PTH in PHP type I is suggested by several observations. First, normalization of the serum calcium level in patients with PHP type I by administration of 1,25(OH)2D (or pharmacological amounts of vitamin D) restores the calcemic response of the skeleton to PTH (16). Second, patients with PHP type I who have normal serum levels of calcium and 1,25(OH)2D3 without vitamin D treatment (so called “normocalcemic” PHP) show a normal calcemic response to administered PTH (16). These findings suggest that 1,25(OH)2D deficiency is the basis for the lack of a calcemic response to PTH in hypocalcemic patients with PHP type I, and contradict the premise that bone cells are intrinsically resistant to the actions of PTH. Serum levels of phosphorous are elevated in PHP type I because of the inability of PTH to decrease the renal tubular reabsorption of phosphorous. Hypocalcemiaper se may also contribute to the development of hyperphosphatemia, as renal phosphate clearance is impaired by very low levels of intracellular calcium


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Fig. 4. Photograph and radiograph of hands of a patient with marked hyperparathyroid bone disease. Marked periosteal bone erosion in terminal phalanges has resulted in “pseudoclubbing.” From ref. 149.

(17). Accordingly, normalization of serum calcium levels by chronic treatment with calcium and/or vitamin D can reduce elevated levels of serum phosphorous. Similar therapy has been shown to reverse the defective phosphaturic response to administered PTH in certain patients with PHP type I, although the nephrogenous cAMP response remains markedly deficient (18). Therefore, persistence of a blunted nephrogenous cAMP response to PTH in PHP type I patients in whom chronic vitamin D therapy has led to normalization of plasma calcium levels and restoration of a phosphaturic response need not imply, as has been at least suggested (18), that there is no relationship between cAMP production and phosphate clearance. The overall evidence suggests that the disturbances in calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D metabolism in most patients with PHP type I result directly or indirectly

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from reduced responsiveness of both bone and kidney to PTH. Hypocalcemia results from impaired mobilization of calcium from bone, reduced intestinal absorption of calcium (via deficient generation of 1,25(OH)2D), and urinary calcium loss. Of these defects, the diminished movement of calcium out of bone stores into the extracellular fluid probably has the greatest role in producing hypocalcemia. Intensive treatment with calcitriol (1,25(OH)2D) or other vitamin D analogs improves intestinal calcium absorption and bone calcium mobilization, restores plasma calcium to normal, and reduces circulating PTH levels. Thus, although PTH resistance appears to be the proximate biochemical defect, the major abnormalities in mineral metabolism found in patients with PHP type I can be largely explained on the basis of deficiency of circulating 1,25(OH)2D.

Molecular Basis for PTH Action PTH regulates mineral metabolism and skeletal homeostasis by modulating the activity of specialized cells in bone and kidney. PTH binds to specific receptors located on the plasma membrane of target cells (Fig. 3). The classical PTH receptor that is expressed in bone and kidney is an approx 75-kDa glycoprotein that is often referred to as the PTH/PTHrP or type I PTH receptor (type I PTH-r). The type I PTH-r binds both PTH and parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), a factor made by diverse tumors that cause humorally mediated hypercalcemia, with equivalent affinity, which accounts for the similar activities of both hormones. By contrast, a second PTH receptor, termed the type II receptor protein, is not expressed in conventional PTH target tissues (i.e., bone and kidney), and interacts with PTH but not PTHrP (19,20). Both PTH receptors are members of a large family of G protein coupled receptors that can bind hormones, neurotransmitters, cytokines, light photons, taste and odor molecules. These receptors consist of a single polypeptide chain that is predicted by hydrophobicity plots to span the plasma membrane seven times (i.e., heptahelical), forming three extracellular and three or four intracellular loops and a cytoplasmic carboxyl-terminal tail. The heptahelical receptors are coupled by heterotrimeric (αβγ) G proteins (21) to signal effector molecules localized to the inner surface of the plasma membrane (Fig. 3). Highly specific associations among at least 20 α, six β, and 12 γ chains generate a diversity of heterotrimeric G proteins that have the ability to discriminate among a multitude of receptor and effector molecules. Hormone-binding to a receptor facilitates activation of the G protein, a process in which the α chain exchanges bound GDP for GTP and dissociates from the βγ dimer and the receptor. The free, GTPbound form of the α chain is the primary modulator of relevant effector molecules, although βγ dimers can also influence activity of many effectors (e.g. some forms of adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase C). An intrinsic GTPase associated with the α chain acts as a molecular timing mechanism,


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and after a predetermined interval GTP is hydrolyzed to GDP. The inactive GDP-bound α chain reassociates with a βγ dimer, and the heterotrimeric G protein is ready for another cycle of hormone activation. Interaction of PTH with its receptor activates intracellular signal effector systems that generate the second messengers cAMP (22,23), inositol 1,4,5trisphosphate and diacylglycerol (24,25), and cytosolic calcium (26–29) . The best-characterized mediator of PTH action is cAMP, which rapidly activates protein kinase A (30). The relevant target proteins that are phosphorylated by protein kinase A and the precise mode(s) of action of these proteins remain uncharacterized, though proteins that activate genes responsive to cAMP and ion channel proteins are strong candidates. In contrast to the well-recognized biologic effects of cAMP in PTH target tissues, the physiological importance of metabolites of phosphotidylinositol hydrolysis and intracellular calcium as PTH-induced second messengers has not yet been established. Studies of the expressed type I PTH-r have revealed that ligand activation of these diverse second messengers derives from the ability of the receptor to interact with several different G proteins. The agonistbound type I PTH-r can activate members of the Gq/11 family, and thereby stimulate phospholipase C, and can activate Gs to stimulate adenylyl cyclase (31,32) (Fig. 3). These studies have revealed that the number of PTH-r’s expressed, as well as the concentration of G protein and PTH, cooperate to determine the precise signal response.

Circulating Inhibitors of PTH Action Hormone action may be divided conceptually into prereceptor, receptor, and postreceptor events; defects in each of these steps have been proposed as the basis of hormone resistance in PHP (Fig. 3). A circulating inhibitor of PTH action has been proposed as a cause of PTH resistance on the basis of studies showing an apparent dissociation between plasma levels of endogenous immunoreactive and bioactive PTH in subjects with PHP type I. Despite high circulating levels of immunoreactive PTH, the levels of bioactive PTH in many patients with PHP type I have been found to be within the normal range when measured with highly sensitive renal (33) and metatarsal (34) cytochemical bioassay systems. Furthermore, plasma from many of these patients has been shown to diminish the biological activity of exogenous PTH in these in vitro bioassays (35). Currently, the nature of this putative inhibitor or antagonist remains unknown. The observation that chronic hypercalcemia can diminish or eliminate the inhibitory activity in the plasma of patients with PHP has suggested that the parathyroid gland may be the source of the inhibitor. This notion is supported by analyses of circulating PTH immunoactivity after fractionation of patient plasma by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), which has disclosed the presence of aberrant forms of immunoreactive PTH in many of these patients (36). Although it is conceivable that a PTH inhibitor may cause PTH resistance in some patients with PHP, it is more likely that circulating antagonists of PTH action arise as a consequence of the sustained secondary hyperparathyroidism that results from the primary biochemical defect.

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Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type Ia and Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism Cell membranes from most patients with AHO have an approx 50% reduction in expression or activity of Gsα protein (37) (Fig. 5). This form of PHP is termed PHP type Ia. The generalized deficiency of Gsα may impair the ability of PTH, as well as many other hormones and neurotransmitters (see below), to activate adenylyl cyclase and thereby may account for multihormone resistance. Early studies of PHP type Ia led to the identification of families in which some individuals had signs of AHO but lacked apparent hormone resistance (i.e., pseudoPHP). The observation that PHP type Ia and pseudoPHP can occur in the same family first suggested that these two disorders might reflect variability in expression of a single genetic lesion. Further support for this view derives from recent studies which indicate that within a given kindred, subjects with either pseudoPHP or PHP type Ia have identical gene defects and similar deficiency of Gsα in accessible cells (Fig. 5) (37,38). Moreover, a transition from hormone responsiveness to hormone resistance may occur in some patients (39). It therefore seems reasonable to use the term AHO to simplify description of these two variants of the same syndrome, and to acknowledge the common clinical and biochemical characteristics that patients with PHP type Ia and pseudoPHP share.

Molecular Defect The recent discovery that Gsα deficiency results from inactivating mutations in the GNAS1 gene resolved the controversy surrounding the pattern of inheritance of AHO. X-linked (40), autosomal dominant (41), and autosomal recessive (42) inheritance of AHO had been proposed. However, the observation of father to son transmission of AHO with Gs( deficiency excluded an X-linked mode of inheritance (43), and the mapping of the GNAS1 gene to chromosome 20q13.2→13.3 (44) provided final confirmation that AHO, including both PHP type Ia and pseudoPHP, is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. GNAS1 is a complex gene (45) comprised of at least 17 exons, including 3 alternative first exons (46,47). Alternative splicing of nascent transcripts derived from exons 1–13 generates four mRNA’s that encode Gsα. Deletion of exon 3 results in the loss of 15 codons from the mRNA, while use of an alternative splice site in exon 4 results in the insertion of a single additional codon into the mRNA. This produces two Gsα proteins with apparent molecular weights of 45 kDa and two isoforms of apparent molecular weights of 52 kDa (45) that exhibit specific patterns of tissue expression (48). Both long and short forms of Gsα can stimulate adenylyl cyclase and open calcium channels (49) , but biochemical characterization of these isoforms has revealed subtle differences in the binding constant for GDP, the rate at which the forms are activated by agonist binding, efficiency of adenylyl cyclase stimulation, and the rate of GTP hydrolysis. The significance of these differences remains unknown (49–51) , but these distinctions imply the existence of as yet unknown roles for these G proteins (52) .


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Fig. 5. Gsα activity of erythrocyte membranes. Gsα is quantified in complementation assays with S49 cyc- membranes, which genetically lack Gs( but retain all other components necessary for hormone-response adenylyl cyclase activity. Activity is reduced approx 50% in patients with AHO subjects with either PHP type Ia or pseudoPHP, but is normal in patients with PHP type Ib.

Additional complexity in the processing of the GNAS1 gene derives from the use of alternative first exons that generate novel transcripts. Because these alternative forms of Gsα lack amino acid sequences encoded by exon 1, which are required for interaction with Gβγ and attachment to the plasma membrane, it is unlikely that these proteins can function as transmembrane signal transducers. In one case, a Gsα transcript is produced with an alternative first exon that lacks an initiator ATG; thus, a truncated, nonfunctional Gsα protein is translated from an inframe ATG in exon 2 (53) . The role of this Gsα chain is unknown. In two other instances unique transcripts are generated using additional coding exons that are present upstream of the exon 1 used to generate Gsα. The more 5' of these exons encodes the neuroendocrine secretory protein NESP55, a chromogranin-like protein that contains sequences derived from exon 2 of GNAS1 in the 3' uncoded region (54,55) . The more downstream alternative exon encodes a 51-kDa protein, and when spliced to exons 2 – 13 results in a transcript that encodes a larger Gsα isoform (XLαs) (56) . Both of these alternative exons splice onto exon 2 of GNAS1, yet the encoded proteins share no amino acid sequences. Despite their structural unrelatedness, both NESP55 and XLαs have been implicated in regulated secretion in neuroendocrine tissues. Molecular studies of DNA from subjects with AHO have disclosed inactivating mutations in the GNAS1 gene (57–70) that account for a 50% reduction in expression or function of Gsα protein (Fig. 6). All patients are heterozygous, and have one normal GNAS1 allele and one defective allele. A large variety of mutations in the GNAS1 gene have been identified, including missense mutations (60,62,64,69), point mutations in sequences required for efficient splicing (61), and small

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Fig. 6. Mutations in the GNAS1 gene. The upper panel (A) depicts the human GNAS1 gene, which spans over 20-kilobase pairs and contains at least 13 exons and 12 introns. Unique mutations that result in loss of Gs function are depicted; missense mutations are denoted by the symbol*. The lower panel (B) indicates the position of missense mutations above the protein structure. Two polymorphisms are denoted by the symbol +, and the position of the unchanged amino acid is denoted beneath the predicted Gs(protein (panel B). The site of two missense mutations that result in gain of function in patients with McCune–Albright syndrome (replacement of Arg201) (93,94156–158) or in sporadic tumors (replacement of either Arg201 or Gln227) (159,160) are depicted in italics. The mutation in exon 1 eliminates the initiator methionine codon and prevents synthesis of a normal Gsα protein (60). The 4 basepair deletions in exon 7 (71,72) and exon 8 (62), and the 1 base-pair deletion and insertion in exon 10 all shift the normal reading frame and prevent normal mRNA and/or protein synthesis. Mutations in intron 3 and at the donor splice junction between exon 10 and intron 10 cause splicing abnormalities that prevent normal mRNA synthesis (61). The mutations indicated with an asterisk represent missense mutations (58,62,63); the resultant amino acid substitutions are indicated in the schematic diagram of the Gsα protein at the bottom of the figure. Some of these mutations may prevent normal protein synthesis by altering protein secondary structure; the R231H substitution in exon 9 prevents normal interaction of the (chain with the βγ dimer (64); the R385H substitution in exon 13 appears to encode an altered protein that cannot couple normally to receptors (63) and the A366S mutation encodes an activated Gsα protein that is unstable at 37°C (58).


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deletions (61,62,65,71). Although novel mutations have been found in nearly all of the kindreds studied, a 4-base deletion in exon 7 has been detected in multiple families (70–72) and an unusual missense mutation in exon 13 (A366S; see below) has been identified in two unrelated young boys (58), suggesting that these two regions may be genetic “hot spots.” Most gene mutations lead to reduced expression of Gsα mRNA (38,73), but in some subjects the mutant allele produces normal levels of Gs( mRNA (38,73,74) that encode dysfunctional Gsα proteins (58,63,64,69). The replacement of arginine by histidine at codon 385 in the carboxyl terminal tail of Gsα selectively “uncouples” Gs from receptors and prevents receptor activation (63). Substitution of histidine by arginine at position 231 also prevents receptor activation of Gs, but by an entirely different mechanism (69). The replacement of histidine231 hinders binding of GTP to the α chain, and thereby inhibits receptor-induced dissociation of Gsα from Gβγ.

Multiple Hormone Resistance Although biochemical hypoparathyroidism is the most commonly recognized endocrine deficiency in PHP type Ia, early clinical studies described additional hormonal abnormalities, such as hypothyroidism (75,76) and hypogonadism (77). Because available evidence suggests that Gsα is present in all tissues, generalized deficiency of this protein could be the basis for not only PTH resistance, the hallmark of PHP type Ia, but could also explain the decreased responsiveness of diverse tissues (e.g., kidney, thyroid gland, gonads, and liver) to hormones that act via activation of adenylyl cyclase (e.g., PTH, TSH, gonadotropins, and glucagon) (9,78,79). Primary hypothyroidism occurs in most patients with PHP type Ia (78). Typically, patients lack a goiter or anti-thyroid antibodies and have an elevated serum TSH with an exaggerated response to TRH. Serum levels of T4 may be low or low normal. Hypothyroidism may occur early in life prior to the development of hypocalcemia, and elevated serum levels of TSH are not uncommonly detected during neonatal screening (80–82). Unfortunately, early institution of thyroid hormone replacement does not seem to prevent the development of mental retardation (81). Hypogonadism is common in subjects with PHP type Ia. Women may have delayed puberty, oligomenorrhea, and infertility (78). Plasma gonadotropins may be elevated, but are more commonly normal. Some patients show an exaggerated serum gonadotropin response to GnRH (77,83). Features of hypogonadism may be less obvious in men. Serum testosterone may be normal or reduced. Testes may show evidence of a maturation arrest or may fail to descend normally. Fertility appears to be decreased in men with PHP type Ia. Quite surprisingly, responsiveness to many other hormones that depend upon generation of cAMP appears unaffected in patients with PHP type Ia. For example, diabetes insipidus is not a feature of AHO, and urine is concentrated normally in response to vasopressin in patients with PHP type Ia (84) . Although there is a report of adrenal insufficiency in a single individual with PHP type Ia

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(85), hypoadrenalism is not a typical feature of PHP type Ia and adrenocortical responsiveness to ACTH is normal (78). One possible interpretation of variable hormonal responsiveness is that haploinsufficiency of Gsα is tissue-specific; that is, in some tissues a 50% reduction in Gsα is still sufficient to facilitate normal signal transduction. However, this explanation leaves unanswered the even more intriguing paradox of why some subjects with Gsα deficiency have hormone resistance (PHP type Ia) whereas others lack hormone resistance (pseudoPHP). Analysis of published pedigrees has indicated that in most cases maternal transmission of Gs( deficiency leads to PHP type Ia whereas paternal transmission of the defect leads to pseudoPHP (37,68,86,87), findings which have implicated genomic imprinting of the GNAS1 gene as a possible regulatory mechanism (87). Recent studies have indeed confirmed that the GNAS1 gene is imprinted, but in a far more complex manner than had been anticipated. Two upstream promoters, each associated with a large coding exon, lie 35 kb upstream of GNAS1 exon 1. These promoters are only 11 kb apart, yet show opposite patterns of allele-specific methylation and monoallelic transcription. The more 5' of these exons encodes NESP55, which is expressed exclusively from the maternal allele. By contrast, the XLαs exon is paternally expressed (46,47). Despite the simultaneous imprinting in both the paternal and maternal directions of the GNAS1 gene, expression of Gsα appears to be biallelic in all human tissues examined (46,47,90). The lack of access to relevant tissues in patients with PHP type Ia has hindered studies of Gsα expression and stimulated attempts to develop suitable animal models. Recently two groups have succeeded in developing mice in which one Gnas gene is disrupted, thereby generating murine models of PHP type Ia (89,90). Although these mice have reduced levels of Gsα protein, they lack many of the features of the human disorder. Biochemical analyses of these heterozygous Gnas knockout mice suggest that Gsα expression may derive from only the maternal allele in some tissues (e.g., renal cortex) and from both alleles in other tissues (e.g., renal medulla). Accordingly, mice that inherit the defective Gnas gene maternally express only that allele in imprinted tissues, such as the PTH-sensitive renal proximal tubule, in which there is no functional Gsα protein. By contrast, the 50% reduction in Gsα expression that occurs in nonimprinted tissues, which express both Gnas alleles, may account for more variable and moderate hormone resistance in these sites (e.g., the thyroid). Confirmation of this proposed mechanism in patients with AHO will require demonstration that the human Gsα transcript is paternally imprinted in the renal cortex. In AHO, inherited GNAS1 gene mutations reduce expression or function of Gsα protein. By contrast, in the McCune–Albright syndrome, post-zygotic somatic mutations in the GNAS1 gene (Fig. 6) enhance activity of the protein (91,92). These mutations lead to constitutive activation of adenylyl cyclase, and result in proliferation and autonomous hyperfunction of hormonally responsive cells. The clinical significance of Gsα activity as a determinant of hormone action is emphasized by the recent description by Iiri et al. (58) of two males with both precocious


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puberty and PHP type Ia. These two unrelated boys had identical GNAS1 gene mutations in exon 13 (A366S, Fig. 6) that resulted in a temperature-sensitive form of Gsα. This Gsα is constitutively active in the cooler environment of the testis, while being rapidly degraded in other tissues at normal body temperature. Thus, different tissues in these two individuals could show hormone resistance (to PTH and TSH), hormone responsiveness (to ACTH), or hormone independent activation (to LH).

Albright Hereditary Osteodystrophy Subjects with PHP type Ia or pseudoPHP typically manifest a characteristic constellation of developmental defects, termed Albright hereditary osteodystrophy, that includes short stature, obesity, a round face, shortening of the digits (brachydactyly), subcutaneous ossification, and dental hypoplasia (Fig. 1) (1,2). Considerable variability occurs in the clinical expression of these features even among affected members of a single family, and all of these features may not be present in every case (93) . On rare occasion, it may be impossible to detect any features of AHO in an individual with Gsα deficiency(61,62). The presence of AHO in patients with PHP type Ia and pseudoPHP suggests that the phenotype results from defective signaling function in cells in which GNAS1 is not imprinted, and in which a 50% reduction of Gsα can hinder activation of adenylyl cyclase. Although patients with AHO may be of normal height and weight, approx 66% of children and 80% of adults are below the 10th percentile for height. This reflects a disproportionate shortening of the limbs, as arm span is less than height in the majority of patients. Obesity is a common feature of AHO and about one-third of all patients with AHO are above the 90th percentile of weight for their age, despite their short stature (94) (Fig. 1A). Patients with AHO typically have a round face, a short neck, and a flattened bridge of the nose. Numerous other abnormalities of the head and neck have also been noted. Ocular findings include hypertelorism, strabismus, nystagmus, unequal pupils, diplopia, microphthalmia, and a variety of abnormal findings on funduscopic exam that range from irregular pigmentation to optic atrophy and macular degeneration. Head circumference is above the 90th percentile in a significant minority of children (94). Dental abnormalities are common in subjects with PHP type Ia and include dentin and enamel hypoplasia, short and blunted roots, and delayed or absent tooth eruption (95). Brachydactyly is the most reliable sign for the diagnosis of AHO, and may be symmetrical or asymmetrical and involve one or both hands or feet (Fig. 1). Shortening of the distal phalanx of the thumb is the most common abnormality; this is apparent on physical exam as a thumb in which the ratio of the width of the nail to its length is increased (so called “murderer's thumb” or “potter’s thumb”, Fig. 1D). Shortening of the metacarpals causes shortening of the digits, particularly the 4th and 5th. Shortening of the metacarpals may also be recognized on physical exam as dimpling over the knuckles of a clenched fist (Archibald sign, Fig. 1C). Often a definitive diagnosis requires careful examination of radiographs of the hands and feet (Fig. 1B). A specific pattern of shortening of the bones in the hand has been identified, in which the distal phalanx of the thumb and third

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through fifth metacarpals are the most severely shortened (96,97). This may be useful in distinguishing AHO from other unrelated syndromes in which brachydactyly occurs, such as familial brachydactyly, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome (96). In addition to brachydactyly, several other skeletal abnormalities are present in AHO. Numerous deformities of the long bones have been reported, including a short ulna, bowed radius, deformed elbow or cubitus valgus, coxa vara, coxa valga, genu varum, and genu valgus deformities (94). The most common abnormalities of the skull are hyperostosis frontalis interna and a thickened calvarium. The skeletal abnormalities of AHO may not be apparent until a child is 5 yr old (98) . Bone age is advanced 2–3 yr in the majority of patients (94). Spinal cord compression has been reported in several patients with AHO (99). Patients with AHO develop heterotopic ossifications of the soft tissues or skin (osteoma cutis). Although frequently confused with subcutaneous calcifications, these lesions are in fact ectopic islands of true bone, and their development and growth appear unrelated to abnormalities in serum calcium or phosphorous levels. Osteoma cutis is present in 25 to 50% of cases of AHO, and is usually first noted in infancy or early childhood. Ossification of the skin and subcutaneous tissues may be the presenting cardinal feature of AHO in infancy or childhood in the absence of hypocalcemia or other features of AHO (100,101). Blue-tinged, stony hard papular or nodular lesions that range in size from pinpoint up to 5 cm in diameter often occur at sites of minor trauma and may appear to be migratory on repeated exams (100). Biopsy of these lesions reveals heterotopic ossification with spicules of mineralizing osteoid and calcified cartilage. The presence of these developmental and skeletal abnormalities does not necessarily indicate that the patient has AHO and Gsα deficiency. Features of AHO, particularly shortened metacarpals or metatarsals, may occur in normal subjects, as well as in patients with hormone deficient hypoparathyroidism (101,102), renal hypercalciuria (103), and primary hyperparathyroidism (104). Moreover, several features of AHO, for example, obesity, round face, brachydactyly, and mental retardation, are common to other disorders (e.g., Prader–Willi syndrome, acrodysostosis, Ullrich-Turner syndrome, Gardener’s syndrome), many of which are associated with chromosomal defects. In some instances overlapping clinical features between AHO and other syndromes may lead to confusion. For example, AHO in a mother and her daughter has been associated with a proximal 15q chromosomal deletion resembling that found in Prader–Willi syndrome (105). A growing number of reports have described small terminal deletions of chromosome 2q in patients with variable AHO-like phenotypes. Terminal deletion of 2q37 [del(2)(q37.3)] is the first consistent karyotypic abnormality that has been documented in patients with an AHO-like syndrome (106,107). These patients have normal endocrine function and normal Gsα activity, however (107). Thus, high-resolution chromosome analysis, biochemical/molecular analysis, and careful physical and radiological examination are essential in discriminating between these phenocopies and AHO.


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Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type Ib Subjects with PHP type I who lack features of AHO typically manifest hormone resistance that is limited to PTH target organs and have normal Gsα activity (Fig. 5) (78) . This variant is termed PHP type Ib (108) . Although patients with PHP type Ib fail to show a nephrogenous cAMP response to PTH, they often manifest skeletal lesions similar to those that occur in patients with hyperparathyroidism (Fig. 4) (109). These observations have suggested that at least one intracellular signaling pathway coupled to the PTH receptor may be intact in patients with PHP type Ib. Specific resistance of target tissues to PTH, and normal activity of Gsα, had implicated decreased expression or function of the PTH/PTHrP receptor as the cause for hormone resistance. In addition, cultured fibroblasts from some, but not all, PHP type Ib patients were shown to accumulate reduced levels of cAMP in response to PTH (110) and contain decreased levels of mRNA encoding the PTH/ PTHrP receptor (111). Several lines of evidence suggest that the primary defect in PHP type Ib is not in the gene encoding the PTH/PTHrP receptor, however. First, pretreatment of cultured fibroblasts from subjects with PHP type 1b with dexamethsone was found to normalize the PTH-induced cAMP response and to increase expression of PTH/PTHrP receptor mRNA (111). Second, molecular studies have failed to disclose mutations in the coding exons (112) and promoter regions (113) of the PTH/PTHrP receptor gene or its mRNA (114). Third, mice (115) and humans (116) that are heterozygous for inactivation of the gene encoding the PTH/PTHrP receptor do not manifest PTH resistance or hypocalcemia. And finally, inheritance of two defective type PTH/PTHrP receptor genes results in Blomstrand chondrodysplasia, a lethal genetic disorder characterized by advanced endochondral bone maturation (see Chapter 20). Thus, it is likely that the molecular defect in PHP type Ib resides in other gene(s) that regulate expression or activity of the PTH/PTHrP receptor. Although most cases of PHP type Ib appear to be sporadic, familial cases have been described in which transmission of the defect is most consistent with an autosomal dominant pattern (3,117). Recent studies have used gene mapping to identify the molecular defect in PHP type Ib (118). In one study the unknown gene was mapped to a small region of chromosome 20q13.3 near the GNAS1 gene, thus raising the possibility that some patients with PHP type Ib have inherited a defective promoter or enhancer that regulates expression of Gsα in the kidney (118).

Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type Ic Resistance to multiple hormones has been described in several patients with AHO who do not have a demonstrable defect in Gs or Gi (78,101,119).This disorder is termed PHP type Ic. The nature of the lesion in such patients is unclear, but it could be related to some other general component of the receptor-adenylyl cyclase system, such as the catalytic unit (120). Alternatively, these patients could have functional defects of Gs (or Gi) that do not become apparent in the assays presently available (121).

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Pseudohypoparathyroidism Type II PHP type II is the least common form of PHP. This variant is typically sporadic, although one case of familial PHP type II has been reported (122). Patients do not have features of AHO. Renal resistance to PTH in PHP type II patients is manifested by a reduced phosphaturic response to administration of PTH, despite a normal increase in urinary excretion of nephrogenous cAMP(4). These observations suggest that the PTH receptor-adenylyl cyclase complex functions normally to increase cAMP in response to PTH, and are consistent with a model in which PTH resistance arises from an inability of intracellular cAMP to initiate the chain of metabolic events that result in the ultimate expression of PTH action. Although supportive data are not yet available, a defect in cAMPdependent protein kinase A has been proposed as the basis for this disorder (4). An alternative interpretation of these observations is that the defect in PHP type II is not an inability to generate a physiological response to intracellular cAMP: a defect in another PTH-sensitive signal transduction pathway may explain the lack of a phosphaturic response. One candidate is the PTH-sensitive phospholipase C pathway that leads to increased concentrations of the intracellular second messengers inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and diacylglycerol (24,25) and cytosolic calcium (26–29) (Fig. 3). In some patients with PHP type II the phosphaturic response to PTH has been restored to normal after serum levels of calcium have been normalized by treatment with calcium infusion or vitamin D (123). These results point to the importance of Ca2+ as an intracellular second messenger. Finally, a similar dissociation between the effects of PTH on generation of cAMP and tubular reabsorption of phosphate has been observed in patients with profound hypocalcemia due to vitamin D deficiency (17), suggesting that some cases of PHP type II may in fact represent vitamin D deficiency.

Diagnosis The diagnosis of PHP should be strongly suspected in any patient with hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and an elevated serum concentration of PTH. Occasionally serum levels of PTH are “inappropriately” normal in subjects with PHP owing to confounding hypomagnesemia (117) or other factors (124). Although hypocalcemia is present in most patients with PHP by the end of the first decade of life, this biochemical finding may go undetected for many years. The circulating level of PTH generally increases prior to the development of hypocalcemia or hyperphosphatemia, and is an early marker of decreased renal responsiveness to the hormone. However, mild hypercalcemia has been found in several young patients with PHP type I who had markedly elevated circulating levels of PTH. Cataracts and intracranial calcification, particularly of the basal ganglion, occur commonly in patients with all forms of chronic hypoparathyroidism. Thus,


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the presence of these ectopic or metastatic calcifications does not help to discriminate among the various causes of hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia (125). Intracranial calcifications are readily detected when CT scanning is employed (126,127), and may occasionally be associated with symptoms such as Parkinson’s disease (128). Unusual presenting manifestations of PHP include neonatal hypothyroidism (80,81), unexplained cardiac failure (129), Parkinson’s disease (136), and spinal cord compression (130). Corroboration of the diagnosis of PHP requires demonstration of normal renal function and normal serum levels of magnesium and 25-(OH)-vitamin D. The presence of AHO and/or multi-hormone resistance, such as hypothyroidism or hypogonadism, favors a diagnosis of PHP type Ia (78). When most or all of these features are present, more sophisticated tests may not be necessary to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Serum calcium levels can fluctuate in patients with PHP, and may spontaneously change from low to normal and vice versa, thus contributing to the confusion regarding the distinction between PHP and pseudoPHP (16,131). However, the abnormal cAMP response to administered PTH (below) does not become normal in PHP patients who become normocalcemic with or without treatment. Thus, the PTH infusion remains the most reliable test to distinguish between these two variants (Fig. 2).

Specialized Tests The biochemical hallmark of PHP is the failure of the target organs, bone and kidney, to respond normally to PTH. Additional tests have been developed to identify subjects with PHP type Ia; these research tests, which are based on analysis of Gsα protein or the GNAS1 gene, are only rarely indicated under typical clinical circumstances. The classical tests of Ellsworth and Howard, and of Chase, Melson, and Aurbach involved the intravenous infusion of 200–300 USP units of bovine parathyroid extract (parathyroid injection, USP; Lilly) and subsequent measurement of urinary excretion of nephrogenous (or total) cAMP (Fig. 2) and phosphate. This relatively crude PTH preparation is no longer available, and has been replaced by synthetic peptides corresponding to the amino terminal region of human PTH (hPTH 1-34). After infusion of synthetic hPTH(1-34), normal subjects and patients with hormonopenic hypoparathyroidism usually display a 10- to 20-fold increase in plasma (132) or urinary (133,134) cAMP excretion, whereas patients with PHP type I (type Ia and type Ib) show a markedly blunted response regardless of their serum calcium concentration (135). The urinary cAMP response to infusion of synthetic hPTH fragments in patients with PHP type I is unrelated to serum calcium levels, but may be related to endogenous serum PTH levels. The maximal urinary cAMP response to PTH increases after suppression of endogenous PTH in patients with PHP type I, but nevertheless does not reach that of the normal range . Thus, this test can distinguish patients with so-called “normocalcemic” PHP (i.e., patients with PTH resistance who are able to maintain normal serum calcium levels without treatment) from subjects with pseudoPHP (who will have

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a normal urinary cAMP response to PTH [5,37])(Fig. 2). Calculation of the phosphaturic response to PTH as the percent decrease in tubular maximum for phosphate reabsorption [i.e., TmP/GFR, (136)] during the first hour after PTH infusion yields the best separation between normal subjects and patients with PHP or hypoparathyroidism (133). However, distinction between groups is also possible when the results are expressed as the fall in percent tubular reabsorption of phosphorus (decrease in % TRP). Patients with hormone deficient hypoparathyroidism have a steep fall in TmP/GF during the first hour after beginning the infusion of PTH. This fall does not occur in patients with PHP [for further details see references by Mallette et al. (133,134)]. Although a normal phosphate response may occur in PHP type I patients with serum calcium or PTH levels in the normal range (7), in patients with PHP type II the phosphaturic response to PTH is not changed despite at least a 10-fold increase in cAMP excretion. The plasma cAMP response to PTH can also be used to differentiate patients with PHP type I from normal subjects and from patients with hypoparathyroidism (132,135,137). Patients with PHP type II can be expected to have normal responsiveness, however. This test offers few advantages over protocols that assess the urinary excretion of cAMP, as changes in plasma cAMP in normal subjects and patients with hypoparathyroidism are much less dramatic than changes in urinary cAMP, and urine must still be collected if one wishes to assess the phosphaturic response to PTH. One reasonable indication for measuring the plasma cAMP response to PTH is the evaluation of patients in whom proper collection of urine is not possible, such as young children (132). The plasma 1,25(OH)2D3 response to PTH has been used to differentiate between hormone deficient and hormone resistant hypoparathyroidism (138,139). In contrast to normal subjects and patients with hypoparathyroidism, patients with PHP had no significant increase in circulating levels of 1,25(OH)2D3. This proposed test readily demonstrates the difference in the pathophysiology between hypoparathyroidism and PHP. Its clinical relevance is probably limited to distinguishing type I from type II PHP where the expected increase in the latter form of PHP might be a more reliable parameter than the phosphaturic response to PTH.

Treatment Urgent treatment of acute or severe symptomatic hypocalcemia in patients with hypoparathyroidism is best accomplished by the intravenous infusion of calcium. Vitamin D is not required. The long term treatment of hypocalcemia in patients with PHP involves the administration of oral calcium and vitamin D or analogs. Patients with PHP may require less intensive therapy than patients with PTH deficiency. The goals of therapy are to maintain serum ionized calcium levels in the normal range, to avoid hypercalciuria, and to suppress PTH levels. Patients with PHP have significantly lower urinary calcium excretion than patients with hypoparathyroidism in relation to serum calcium (140,141) and can tolerate serum calcium levels that are within the normal range without developing hypercalciuria (8).


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Patients with PHP require lower doses of vitamin D than patients with hypoparathyroidism (142), an observation that reflects the response of bone and renal distal tubular cells to endogenous PTH (143). Treatment with calcium and vitamin D usually decreases the elevated serum phosphate to a high normal level because of a favorable balance between increased urinary phosphate excretion and decreased intestinal phosphate absorption. In general, phosphate binding gels such as aluminum hydroxide are not necessary. Patients with AHO may require specific treatment for unusual problems related to their developmental and skeletal abnormalities. Patients with PHP type Ia should be treated for their associated hypogonadism and hypothyroidism. Ectopic ossification occurs in about 30% of patients with AHO (94), but rarely causes a problem. However, at times large extraskeletal osteomas may occur (100). These may require surgical removal to relieve pressure symptoms. Patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism can develop intracranial calcifications and the extent of the calcification appears to be related to both the degree and the duration of functional hypoparathyroidism. Accordingly, correction of hypocalcemia and hyperphosphatemia can theoretically prevent development or progression of intracranial calcification, although no controlled studies are available to confirm this hypothesis.

Conclusion The identification, and molecular characterization of the signal transduction pathways that regulate PTH secretion and action have facilitated development of new approaches to the investigation of PHP. Advanced immunoassays now make possible the accurate and precise measurement of circulating concentrations of biologically active PTH, and innovative genetic techniques now offer the promise of future molecular diagnosis of these disorders. Ultimately, the insights gained from studies of these unusual patients will provide new information concerning the physiological regulation of PTH responsiveness in classical target tissues, such as bone and kidney, as well as in nonclassical targets. As with many other human disorders for which the disease gene has been identified, it is predicted that ability to diagnose these disorders on a molecular level will extend the clinical spectrum of disease. This prediction has already been fulfilled through our understanding of defects in genes encoding Gsα. Future work will be directed toward identification of the molecular basis for other forms of PHP so that all disorders of PTH action can be described on the basis of their pathophysiology.

Acknowledgments This work has been supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (DK-34281 and DK-46720).

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123. Kruse, K., Kracht, U., Wohlfart, K., and Kruse, U. (1989) Biochemical markers of bone turnover, intact serum parathyroid horn and renal calcium excretion in patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism and hypoparathyroidism before and during vitamin D treatment. Eur. J. Pediatr. 148, 535–539. 124. Attanasio, R., Curcio, T., Giusti, M., Monachesi, M., Nalin, R., and Giordano, G. (1986) Pseudohypoparathyroidism. A case report with low immunoreactive parathyroid hormone and multiple endocrine dysfunctions. Minerva. Endocrinol. 11, 267–273. 125. Litvin, Y.,Rosler, A., and Bloom. R. A. (1981) Extensive cerebral calcification in hypoparathyroidism. Neuroradiology 21, 271–271. 126. Sachs, C., Sjoberg, H. E., and Ericson, K. (1982) Basal ganglia calcifications on CT, Relation to hypoparathyroidism. Neurology 32, 779–782. 127. Korn-Lubetzki, I., Rubinger, D., and Siew, F. (1980) Visualization of basal ganglion calcification by cranial computed tomography in a patient with pseudohypoparathyroidism. Isr. J. Med. Sci. 16, 40–41. 128. Pearson, D. W. M., Durward, W. F., Fogelman, I., Boyle, I. T., and Beastall, G. (1981) Pseudohypoparathyroidism presenting as severe Parkinsonism. Postgrad. Med. J. 57, 445–447. 129. Miano, A., Casadel, G., and Biasini, G. (1981) Cardiac failure in pseudohypoparathyroidism. Helv. Paediat. Acta 36, 191–192. 130. Cavallo, A., Meyer, W. J., III, Bodensteiner, J. B., and Chesson, A. L. (1980) Spinal cord compression, An unusual manifestation of pseudohypoparathyroidism. Am. J. Dis. Child 134, 706–707. 131. Breslau, N. A., Notman, D., Canterbury, J. M., and Moses, A. M. (1980) Studies on the attainment of normocalcemia in patients with pseudohypoparathyroidism. Am. J. Med. 68, 856–860. 132. Stirling, H. F., Darling, J. A., and Barr, D. G. (1991) Plasma cyclic AMP response to intravenous parathyroid hormone in pseudohypoparathyroidism. Acta Paediatr. Scand. 80, 333–338. 133. Mallette, L. E., Kirkland, J. L., Gagel, R. F., Law, W. M., Jr. and Heath, H. III. (1988) Synthetic human parathyroid hormone-(1–34) for the study of pseudohypoparathyroidism. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 67, 964–972. 134. Mallette, L. E. (1988) Synthetic human parathyroid hormone 1–34 fragment for diagnostic testing. Ann. Intern. Med. 109, 800–804. 135. Furlong, T. J., Seshadri, M. S., Wilkinson, M. R., Cornish, C. J., Luttrell, B., and Posen, S. (1986) Clinical experiences with human parathyroid hormone 1–34. Aust. N. Z. J. Med. 16, 794–798. 136. Walton, R. J. and Bijvoet, O. L. M. (1975) Nomogram for derivation of renal threshold phosphate concentration. Lancet 309, 310. 137. Sohn, H.E., Furukawa, Y., Yumita, S., Miura, R., Unakami, H., and Yoshinaga, K. (1984) Effect of synthetic 1–34 fragment of human parathyroid hormone on plasma adenosine 3', 5'–monophosphate (cAMP) concentrations and the diagnostic criteria based on the plasma cAMP response in Ellsworth–Howard test. Endocrinol. Jpn. 31, 33–40. 138. Miura, R., Yumita, S., Yoshinaga, K., and Furukawa, Y. (1990) Response of plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in the human PTH(1– 34) infusion test, an improved index for the diagnosis of idiopathic hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism. Calcif. Tissue Int. 46, 309–313.


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139. McElduff, A., Lissner, D., Wilkinson, M., Cornish, C., and Posen, S. (1987) A 6-hour human parathyroid hormone (1–34) infusion protocol, studies in normal and hypoparathyroid subjects. Calcif. Tissue Int. 41, 267–273. 140. Litvak, J., Moldawer, M. P., Forbes, A. P., and Henneman, P. H. (1958) Hypocalcemic hypercalciuria during vitamin D and dihydrotachysterol therpay of hypoparathyroidism. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 18, 246–252. 141. Yamamoto, M., Takuwa, Y., Masuko, S., and Ogata, E. (1988) Effects of endogenous and exogenous parathyroid hormone on tubular reabsorption of calcium in pseudohypoparathyroidism. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 66, 618–625. 142. Okano, K., Furukawa, Y., Morii, H., and Fujita, T. (1982) Comparative efficacy of various vitamin D metabolites in the treatment of various types of hypoparathyroidism. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 55, 238–243. 143. Breslau, N. A. (1989) Pseudohypoparathyroidism, current concepts. Am. J. Med. Sci. 298, 130–140. 144. Shenker, A., Weinstein, L. S., Sweet, D. E., and Spiegel, A. M. (1994) An activating Gsa mutation is present in fibrous dysplasia of bone in McCune–Albright syndrome. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 79, 750–755. 145. Shenker, A., Weinstein, L. S., Moran, A., Pescovitz, O. H., Charest, N. J., Boney, C. M., Van Wyk, J. J., Merino, M. J., Feuillan, P. P., and Spiegel, A. M. (1993) Severe endocrine and nonendocrine manifestations of the McCune– Albright syndrome associated with activating mutations of stimulatory G protein GS. J. Pediatr. 123, 509–518. 146. Levine, M. A., Schwindinger, W. F., Downs, R. W. Jr., and Moses, A. M. (1994) Pseudohypoparathyroidism: clinical, biochemical, and molecular features, in The Parathyroids, Basic and Clinical Concepts. (Bilezikian, J. P., Marcus, R., and Levine, M. A., eds.)Raven Press, New York, pp. 781–800. 147. Landis, C. A., Masters, S. B., Spada, A., Pace, A. M., Bourne, H. R., and Vallar, L. (1989) GTPase inhibiting mutations activate the alpha chain of Gs and stimulate adenylyl cyclase in human pituitary tumours. Nature 340, 692–696. 148. Lyons, J., Landis, C. A., Griffith, H., Vallar, L., Grunewald, K., Feichtinger, H., Yuh, Q. Y., Clark, O. H., Kawasaki, E., Bourne, H. R., and McCormick, F. (1990) Two G protein oncogenes in human endocrine tumors. Science 249, 655–659. 149. Levine, M. A., Parfrey, N. A., and Feinstein, R. S. (1982) Pseudohypoparathyroidism. Johns Hopkins Med. J. 151, 137–146.

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva

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Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Eileen M. Shore, John G. Rogers, Roger Smith, Francis H. Gannon, Martin Delatycki, J. Andoni Urtizberea, James Triffitt, Martine Le Merrer, and Frederick S. Kaplan Introduction Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare genetic disorder of connective tissue characterized by congenital malformation of the great toes and by progressive heterotopic osteogenesis that occurs in predictable anatomic patterns. The rate of disease progression is variable (1); however, onset of heterotopic bone formation typically occurs before age 10. Cumulative episodes of heterotopic ossification commonly result in ankylosis of all major joints of the axial and appendicular skeleton, preventing movement of affected joints. Most patients are confined to a wheelchair by the third decade of life and require lifelong assistance in performing activities of daily living. Surgical trauma associated with attempts to remove heterotopic bone typically leads to increased local ossification. There is currently no effective treatment. Neither the genetic defect nor pathophysiology of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva are known. A candidate gene approach to identify the cause of this disorder is being pursued since no karyotype abnormalities have been detected in patients with FOP, and gene identification through linkage analysis is difficult, as few families with inheritance of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva have been identified worldwide (1–6). The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) genes and other genes in the BMP pathway have been implicated as plausible candidate genes (7–10).

Phenotypic Features of FOP The three major diagnostic criteria for FOP are congenital malformations of the great toes (11), progressive heterotopic endochondral ossification (12), and disease progression in well-defined anatomic patterns (13,14). The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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The skeleton that develops during embryogenesis in people who have FOP is grossly normal, with the most characteristic skeletal malformation being the shortening and deviation of the big toes (hallux valgus), due to malformations in the cartilaginous anlage of the first metatarsal and proximal phalanx (11,15). In some cases, the thumbs may also be strikingly short and malformed (11,16,17). Additional sporadic exceptions to normal skeletal formation include segmentation defects in the cervical spine (hypoplasia of the vertebral bodies of the cervical spine and synostosis of the posterior elements) (6,18), broad short femoral necks (19,20), osteochondromas of the proximal tibias (12) and rarely enchondromas (21). An association with synovial chondromatosis also has been reported (22). Congenital malformation of the great toes is the earliest recognizable phenotypic feature of FOP and is present in nearly all affected individuals (15,23) (Fig. 1), occurring in greater than 95% of cases of FOP, and should be considered a hallmark of the disease (15). Eventual fusion of the proximal and distal phalanges of the great toe is typical. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva can be suspected at birth, before soft-tissue lesions occur, if the characteristic congenital skeletal malformations are recognized (12). Usually, FOP is diagnosed only when softtissue swellings and radiologic evidence of heterotopic ossification are noted in the presence of congenital malformations of the toes.

Heterotopic Ossification Impending heterotopic ossification is signaled by the appearance of large, often painful, lesions of highly vascular fibroproliferative tissue(12,24) involving skeletal muscle, tendons, and ligaments (Fig. 2). It is not yet known whether these lesions are monoclonal fibroproliferative tumors or polyclonal reactive lesions. These soft-tissue lesions generally appear spontaneously, but also may be precipitated by minor trauma such as intramuscular childhood immunizations (25) or falls (26). Lesion-associated swelling develops rapidly over the course of several days (27). Fever may occur during this development, mistakenly suggesting an infectious process or tumor. Aponeuroses, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue of voluntary muscles may be affected (15,23,28). Typically, lesions occur in paraspinal muscles in the back or in the limb girdles and may evolve over months. While many early swellings may regress spontaneously, others form heterotopic bone (27). Factors responsible for the regression of some lesions and the progression of others are not known. Regardless of the cause, the lesions in FOP mature through an endochondral pathway to form normal lamellar bone that bridges and immobilizes the joints of the axial and appendicular skeleton (12) (Fig. 3). The episodes of FOP lesion formation occur at unpredictable frequencies (17,20), and some patients enter periods of disease quiescence. Once ossification develops, it is permanent, although bone remodeling may occur at heterotopic sites, and the shape and size of the lesion may change over time. Radiographic evidence indicates normal modeling and remodeling of the heterotopic skeleton (29,30), including:


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Fig. 1. Toe malformation in FOP. (A) Clinical photograph of the feet of a 13-mo-old child with FOP. Note the short malformed great toes with valgus deviation at the metatarsophalangeal joints. (B) Anteroposterior radiographs reveal an anteroposterior patterning defect with malformed first metatarsals, delta-shaped proximal phalanges, and valgus deviation at the metatarsophalangeal joints.

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Fig. 2. Clinical photograph of the back of a 4-yr-old child with FOP. Note the appearance of multiple pre-osseous soft tissue lesions along with areas of more mature heterotopic bone during the time of an acute flareup of the condition.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Tubular and flat bones with mature cortical and trabecular organization; Well-defined cortical-endosteal borders enclosing medullary canals; Metaphyseal funnelization in isolated ossicles or at sites of synostoses; Osteosclerosis from use (weight bearing) and osteopenia from disuse; and Absence of pathologic fractures or stress fractures from fatigue failure.


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Fig. 3. Clinical photograph and skeleton of a 25-yr-old man with FOP. The rigid posture noted in this man with FOP is due to ankylosis of the spine,shoulders, and elbows. Plates and ribbons of ectopic bone contour the skin over the back and arms (A), and can be visualized directly on the skeleton (B) (following death from pneumonia at age 40 yr). (Courtesy of the Mutter Museum, College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Reprinted with permission from ref. 10.)

Isotope bone scans also suggest that remodeling of mature heterotopic bone is normal. Fracture healing in the heterotopic and normotopic bone is similar, although healing of heterotopic bone may be accelerated (30,31). Isotope bone scans show abnormalities before ossification can be detected by conventional radiographs (32). Computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of early lesions have been described (33,34). In early ectopic

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Fig. 3B

ossification, the isotope uptake is considerably increased and the CT scan detects calcification earlier than on plain films. Ultrasound and angiography have also been used to examine lesions.


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Patterns of Disease Progression The anatomic progression of heterotopic bone formation in FOP occurs in specific patterns (or gradients) over time, beginning early in post-natal life and proceeding in predictable temporal and spatial patterns, with the first involvement typically occurring in muscles along the upper back and neck (13,14). Involvement is typically seen earliest in dorsal, axial, cranial, and proximal regions of the body and later in ventral, appendicular, caudal, and distal regions (13). This sequence of events is similar to the developmental pattern of embryonic skeletal formation, although the exact cause of this pattern of progression is unknown. The presentation and course of FOP was described in a recent clinical series (20) of 28 patients studied for up to 24 yr. Painful swelling of muscles (myositis) leading to ossification began at a mean age of 4.6 yr (range: 0–16 yr), initially in the neck and upper spine (in 25 subjects) and later around the hips and jaw. The recognized temporal and spatial sequence of myositis leading to ossification in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva can vary among individuals (20), with injury, surgical procedures, or immunization injections as potential determinants of the first site. This variation makes individual prognosis very difficult. Nevertheless a statistical analysis of 44 patients suggested that new joint involvement could be predicted in individuals (14). Typically, episodes of soft-tissue swelling begin during the first decade of life, although occasionally, the onset is as late as early adulthood (1). The severity of FOP may differ dramatically among patients (1), although most affected individuals become completely immobilized and confined to a wheelchair by the third decade (14). The rate and extent of disability was unrelated to the time of onset of postnatal complications (20).

Other Phenotypic Features Over time, heterotopic bone causes joint immobilization. Ossification around the hips, typically formed by the third decade of life, commonly prevents ambulation. Limb swelling is a frequently reported complication of the acute myositis (27). The intense angiogenesis and edema seen on histopathologic evaluation of pre-osseous fibroproliferative lesions may play a role in the acute limb swelling, but the pathogenesis of this complication is complex and may involve numerous factors including lymphedema and rarely thrombophlebitis (27). Ankylosis of the spine and rib cage also restrict patient mobility and may impair cardiopulmonary function. Scoliosis is a common finding and is associated with asymmetric bars of heterotopic bone connecting the rib cage to the pelvis (35). A decrease in the normal thoracic kyphosis results from early ossification of the paravertebral musculature. Restrictive lung disease and predisposition to pneumonia may follow. While cor pulmonale might be an expected long-term result, no evidence of clinically significant right ventricular dysfunction has been reported, although many patients have electrocardiographic evidence of right ventricular dysfunction (36).

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Involvement of the muscles of mastication (often due to injury by injection of local anesthetic or stretching of the jaw during dental procedures) can cause ankylosis of the temporomandibular joint, leading to severe nutritional impairment (37). Submandibular swelling can be a life-threatening complication with massive anterior neck swelling and difficulty swallowing. Special measures to decrease swelling, including a course of glucocorticoids, may be warranted (38). The heart, diaphragm, extraocular muscles, smooth muscles, and tongue are characteristically spared, and the intrinsic muscles of the hands are involved late in the course of the disease or not at all. Although secondary amenorrhea may develop, successful reproduction has been reported (see Inheritance section). Breast development in females is often impaired, and exacerbation of FOP at puberty has been reported anecdotally. Hearing impairment (beginning in late childhood or adolescence) has been reported but definitive studies to determine the nature of the hearing loss have not been undertaken (15). Alopecia also has been reported frequently (20). Despite the unique clinical features of this disorder, the initial diagnosis of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva has often been incorrect and usually considerably delayed from the onset of symptoms. Mistaken histological diagnoses such as soft tissue sarcoma or fibromatosis has led to inappropriate treatment.

Histopathology of FOP Adequate histopathology of FOP lesion formation has been hampered by the lack of specimens for study. Biopsy specimens of developing FOP lesions are exceedingly rare, since surgical trauma to tissues of FOP patients often leads to additional heterotopic ossification at the operative site, and occasionally at sites remote from the operative trauma (6,12). Occasional tissue samples are available from nonelective surgical procedures or from biopsies taken prior to the diagnosis of FOP.

Early and Late Stage Lesions Histological examination of early FOP lesions reveals an intense perivascular lymphocytic aggregate followed by lymphocytic invasion into the surrounding muscle with subsequent myocyte death. The lesion then progresses to a fibroproliferative tissue with extensive neovascularity (39). A role for hematopoietic cells in heterotopic osteogenesis has been suggested (40). Immunohistochemical evaluation of lymphocyte markers revealed a predominance of perivascular B-lymphocytes and a mixed population of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes weakly positive for bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) invading the skeletal muscle (39). Whether the early lymphocytic infiltrate is a causative or reactive event, or both, cannot be determined from the observations in the small sample of patients examined. In addition, levels of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), an extremely potent angiogenic peptide, are markedly elevated in the urine of patients with FOP during times of disease flareup (41), correlating with the appearance of a vascular fibroproliferative lesion.


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Intermediate-stage FOP lesions cannot be distinguished histologically from aggressive juvenile fibromatosis, a condition which does not progress to form bone (24), but immunohistochemistry can be useful (12,20). BMP-4 expression has been detected in cultured fibroproliferative cells and in intact tissue specimens from pre-osseous FOP lesions, but not in aggressive juvenile fibromatosis lesions (10,24). Later-stage FOP lesions show characteristic features of endochondral ossification including chondrocyte hypertrophy, calcification of cartilage, and formation of lamellar bone with marrow elements, almost identical to the pattern seen in a normally developing growth plate.

Animal Models for FOP A fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva-like condition has been recognized in cats, and six cases have been reported (42–45). The disease occurs in both males and females, and affected breeds were the domestic short hair and domestic long hair cat. Affected cats ranged from ten months to six years of age at diagnosis. Unlike the disease in man, affected cats do not have congenital malformations of the distal limbs. Affected cats developed progressive joint stiffness with enlargement of proximal limb musculature. Radiography revealed multiple foci of heterotopic ossification within affected musculature. Pathologic examination revealed intense perivascular lymphocytic infiltration at the advancing edge of fibroproliferative lesions nearly identical to that seen in human FOP lesions. Marked proliferation of connective tissue followed by cartilage and bone formation within epimysium, tendons, and fasciae was observed. The clinical course of the feline disease is rapid, with the development of severe disability within weeks to months. The disease in the cat closely mimics FOP in humans, and may serve as an animal model for this disorder. Unfortunately, all evaluations performed to date have been post-mortem studies on pet cats, and no live animals are currently available for examination. In another animal model, murine embryonic overexpression of the c-fos proto-oncogene leads to postnatal heterotopic chondrogenesis and osteogenesis with phenotypic features similar to those seen in children who have fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (46). The overexpression of Fos protein in embryonic stem cell chimeras leads to heterotopic endochondral osteogenesis mediated at least in part through a BMP-4 signal transduction pathway. In contrast, early FOP lesions express abundant BMP-4 without overexpression of c-Fos, suggesting that the primary molecular defect in FOP may be independent of sustained Fos effects on chondrogenesis and osteogenesis (46). The c-fos embryonic stem cell chimera may be relevant to the study of FOP (47).

Inheritance Prevalence and Distribution FOP was first described in 1692 (48,49) and more than 700 cases have since been reported. The disorder is among the rarest of human afflictions, with an estimated

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incidence of one per two million live births in Great Britain (50), the United States, and France. Currently, the authors know of fewer than 200 individuals with FOP worldwide. Although caucasian patients have been described most often, the disorder has been reported in all ethnic groups (5,28) including African (51,52), Japanese (53), Indian (54), West Indian (55), and native American (4) populations. The excess of cases reported from Europe and North America is likely due to circumstances influencing ascertainment and survival rather than a result of significantly different mutation rates in these populations (56). FOP appears to affect both sexes equally (15,56).

Reproductive Fitness Reproductive fitness in this severe condition is low. Two explanations for this low reproductive fitness in FOP have been suggested (3). First, the severe deformity in FOP may lead to difficulty with sexual intercourse, gestation, and delivery. Second, there may be decreased fertility in patients with FOP. Connor and Evans (15) found that one of 17 females studied did not develop normal secondary sexual characteristics and that many of their female patients had premature menopause. Two female patients in their twenties with “sexual infantilism” were described (57), and another amenorrheic patient has been reported (58,59). Two viable pregnancies in females with FOP are documented (60,61). Both authors comment on the potential complications of pregnancy in such patients, including worsening of restrictive pulmonary disease (62) with uterine enlargement and a potential risk of exacerbation of the ectopic ossification, although this latter complication was not found in the two patients reported.

Genetic Transmission Most described cases of FOP result from new mutations, with the mutation rate estimated to be 1.8 (SE ± 1.04) × 10–6 mutations per gene per generation (50). The rarity of FOP suggests the likelihood of a single mutated locus causing the disorder in all or most individuals, but the possibility of genetic heterogeneity cannot be excluded. Due to low reproductive fitness, only a few examples of inheritance of FOP within a family have been documented, and previous major reviews of FOP reported no clear examples of dominant transmission (15,63). The autosomal dominant inheritance of FOP was first documented in 1886 in a 7-yr-old boy with characteristic features of FOP whose father had the same congenital deformity of the great toes but had no other features of this disorder (64). A similar occurrence was reported soon after (65), as was father to son transmission of classic FOP (66). Further reports indicating dominant inheritance described the condition in a grandfather, a father and his three sons (67), and a father and daughter with this disease (68). Kaplan et al. (3) reported a father, two daughters, and a son all affected by FOP. This family showed little variability in the phenotype between affected individuals. Connor et al. (2) reported a three-generation family with FOP with a wide range of phenotypic severity ranging from disabling ectopic bone formation and premature death to an asymptomatic adult whose only manifestation was a malformation of the big toes.


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Two case reports of FOP in identical twins (69,70) whose parents had no sign of the condition have been noted. The first suggestion of gonadal mosaicism in FOP was reported in two half-sisters with the same unaffected mother and different unaffected fathers (4), raising the possibility that the mother had a mutant gene for FOP in multiple ova but that the mutant gene was present in few or no somatic cells. Gonadal mosaicism is a proven cause of recurrence in sibs of autosomal dominant disorders (71). Although there is variable expressivity of the FOP phenotype, there is little evidence that the condition is nonpenetrant (50). However, a report of one family with affected cousins does suggest the possibility of nonpenetrance (58,59).

Risk of Inheritance An autosomal dominant mode of inheritance predicts a 50% chance that any child of a person with FOP will themselves have the condition. There is no documentation of successful prenatal diagnosis of FOP. Theoretically ultrasound may be able to identify skeletal changes, but it is unknown whether these are apparent early enough in the pregnancy when termination is generally considered acceptable. An increased paternal age as an associated risk factor for occurence of FOP has been suggested (50,72,73). Counseling a family who has one child with FOP requires that both parents be thoroughly examined. Examples of a parent with mild features, such as short laterally deviated great toes, with a child showing the complete FOP phenotype have been observed (2,64,65). If both parents are phenotypically normal then a low recurrence risk can be given. The possibility of gonadal mosaicism (4) means that the parents cannot be absolutely reassured, but can be given a very low recurrence risk.

Molecular Genetics of FOP Candidate Gene Approach A common approach to identifying the genetic basis of a disease, genetic linkage analysis, and positional cloning, presently is difficult for FOP due the small number of affected individuals and lack of multigenerational families showing inheritance of the disease. The candidate gene approach has been pursued as an alternative indirect method in an attempt to identify the mutated gene. In selecting a candidate gene for FOP, the main diagnostic criteria (congenital malformations of the great toes, heterotopic endochondral ossification, temporal and spatial patterns of ectopic bone formation) must be considered. The candidate gene for FOP must be functional during normal embryonic development (to account for the malformations of the great toe), as well as being active postnatally to induce heterotopic ossification in tendon, ligament, fascia, and skeletal muscle.

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The genes that best fit the criteria of an FOP candidate gene are those that encode the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) genes and other components in the BMP signal transduction pathways (8,74–80). The term ‘‘bone morphogenetic protein’’ (BMP) was first used to describe a demineralized bone extract with the ability to induce ectopic bone formation in animal assay systems (81). When BMP is implanted subcutaneously, the complete pathway of endochondral bone and bone marrow formation is induced at the implant site (74,75). Individual components of the demineralized extract with bone-inducing activity were identified and four human cDNAs encoding these bone-inducing proteins were cloned and named the BMP genes (74). Several additional members of what has become a large family of structurally related BMP genes have subsequently been identified and cloned (77,79). Mutations in the genes of two members of the BMP family which cause skeletal abnormalities during embryogenesis have been identified in the mouse. Homozygous deletions of the BMP-5 gene lead to malformations of the axial skeleton and result in abnormal fracture repair (82). Homozygous mutations of Gdf-5 (growth-differentation factor-5) preferentially affect the appendicular skeleton (83). A mutation in the human homologue of the Gdf-5 gene, CDMP-1 (cartilage-derived morphogenetic protein 1), has been correlated with a recessive human chondrodysplasia, acromesomelic chondrodysplasia, Hunter–Thompson type (84). These mutations provide evidence for a direct role of at least some of the BMPs in embryonic and postnatal bone formation (77,79). The BMP genes, members of the larger transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily of peptides, have been highly conserved throughout evolution (8), and genes with a high degree of homology to members of the mammalian BMP family have been found in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster (8,77,79). The BMP-2 and BMP-4 genes, which produce proteins that are about 90% similar to each other, are homologous to the Drosophilia decapentaplegic (dpp) gene. The DPP protein shows approx 75% amino acid identity to BMP-2 and BMP-4 in the mature carboxyl-terminal region which is the mature functional protein domain of these proteins. In Drosophila, the dpp gene is an essential gene for early embryonic development as well as later in development when it provides necessary information for limb formation (8). The pattern of dpp expression is analogous to the expression of BMP-2 and BMP-4 in vertebrate development (8,77,79). These BMPs play critical roles both in early embryogenesis and in skeletal formation, important criteria for FOP candidate genes. BMP-4 and DPP both appear to function by directing cell fate (8,85). The absence of BMP-4 in a transgenic knockout mouse is lethal in early embryogenesis, showing little or no mesodermal differentiation, and no hematopoiesis (78,86). BMP-4 has also been implicated in patterning of the developing mouse limb. Overexpression of BMP-4 in the chick embryonic limb bud is associated with ectopic osteogenesis and polarizing defects in limb formation (87).


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The significance of the conservation of the Drosophila dpp and human BMP-2 and BMP-4 gene structures is reflected in the functional similarities of their protein products. Experiments have demonstrated that the BMP-4 gene can rescue embryonic dorsal-ventral lethal pattern mutations of dpp-deficient flies (88). Furthermore, when implanted into an animal assay system used to evaluate bone induction by BMPs, DPP protein can induce bone formation (89). These data support the idea that the dpp and BMP-2/4 genes provide the same signaling information that is interpreted by cells in widely-varying developmental and phylogenetic contexts according to the type of cell, the cell environment, and/or the concentration of the BMP/DPP signal.

BMP Expression in FOP Drosophila genetics and developmental biology have provided us with several clues to understand BMP function and to select the BMPs as plausible candidate genes for FOP (8). Recent studies have examined the expression of many of the BMPs in cells from FOP patients (10,24). Although early FOP lesions are histologically identical to those of aggressive juvenile fibromatosis, these two disorders can be distinguished by immunohistochemistry with BMP-2/4 antibodies (24). Tissue from aggressive juvenile fibromatosis lesions (which do not progress to form bone) shows no binding of the BMP2/4 antibody, while FOP lesional tissue binds the antibody, indicating the presence of the BMP proteins within early stage lesions that will progress to endochondral ossification. The antibody used for these experiments cannot distinguish between BMP-2 and BMP-4, however the activity of these two BMP genes can be distinguished by examining specific mRNA expression (24). Cells derived from a pre-osseous FOP lesion and from immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines established from FOP patients showed increased expression (by Northern analysis and ribonuclease protection assays) of BMP-4 but not BMP-2 compared to controls. In addition, correlation of BMP-4 expression with FOP was observed in a family showing inheritance of FOP: the affected father and three affected children expressed BMP-4, while the unaffected mother did not (10). Further studies have verified that BMP-4 protein is synthesized in cells from patients who have FOP (90,91). Steady-state levels of mRNA expression for BMP-4 and the BMP receptors were evaluated using semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and documented the presence of Type I and Type II BMP-4 receptor mRNAs in FOP lesional tissue as well as in unaffected muscle tissue (91). In lymphoblastoid cell lines of affected individuals in a family that exhibited autosomal dominant inheritance of FOP, the previous finding of elevated steady-state levels of BMP-4 mRNA was confirmed (91), but no differences in the steady-state levels of mRNA for either the Type I or Type II BMP-4 receptors were observed between affected and unaffected individuals in the same family.

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Given the evidence of BMP-4 overexpression associated with heterotopic ossification in FOP, several directions to understand the exact involvement of BMP-4 in the pathophysiology of FOP are being examined. Recent results have indicated that the increased levels of BMP-4 mRNA in FOP cells result from an increased rate of transcription of the BMP-4 gene (90). The increased activation of BMP-4 in FOP cells may be due to a mutation within the BMP-4 gene itself or to a mutation in another genetic locus that causes overexpression of BMP-4 in the cells of FOP patients. The structure and function of the human BMP-4 gene is being examined in order to understand how the BMP-4 gene is regulated (92). An examination of the exon-coding sequences of the BMP-4 genes of patients with FOP have identified no mutations in these transcribed regions (93). Linkage analysis of two small families with autosomal dominant transmission of FOP has been performed using a highly polymorphic microsatellite marker near the BMP-4 gene locus (94) in order to determine whether the BMP-4 gene is consistent with or excluded from linkage with FOP in these two families. In one family (3), which showed the classic phenotypic features of FOP (as described previously), the results were consistent with linkage to BMP-4 and the lymphoblastoid cells of affected members expressed high levels of BMP-4 mRNA. In the second family (2), in which affected members showed mild phenotypic features of FOP, linkage of FOP and BMP-4 was excluded; interestingly, BMP-4 expression levels were not elevated in affected members of this family (94a). The appearance of large aggregates of B-cell and T-cell lymphocytes in the intramuscular perivascular space of the earliest detectable lesions of FOP supports the possibility of involvement of lymphocytes and perivascular cells in the induction of osteogenesis (39). These observations suggest a mechanism to explain the pathophysiology of heterotopic bone formation in this disorder. One hypothesis is that lymphocytes capable of expressing BMP-4 circulate in the peripheral blood of patients with FOP, and are recruited to connective tissue sites after soft-tissue injury (10). Alternatively, an event at a soft-tissue site may cause an immune-like response and recruitment of lymphocytes, with cells within the soft tissue induced to produce BMP-4. Type IV collagen, a primary constituent of the basement membrane of endothelial cells, muscle cells, and myoblast-like satellite cells, binds BMP-4, and this binding could result in increased local concentrations of BMP-4 (75). At high concentrations, BMP-4 acts as a morphogen that up-regulates its own mesenchymal expression (76) followed by the development of preosseous lesions around muscle satellite cells, muscle fibroblasts or pericytes (95) capable of transducing the BMP signal. To test the hypothesis that BMP-4 expression and delivery by lymphocytes to a soft-tissue site can result in FOP-like bone forming lesions, transgenic animal models are being developed to over-express BMP-4 in B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes. The expression of BMPs and BMP receptors in hematopoietic stem cells is also being investigated. The stringent temporal and spatial patterns of postnatal heterotopic ossification in patients with FOP are reminiscent of the patterns of mesenchymal cell


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condensation during skeletal embryogenesis and suggest a common molecular basis for prenatal and postnatal osteogenesis. Postnatal osteogenesis in humans most commonly occurs during fracture healing. Fracture callus and heterotopic bone formation in FOP form by endochondral pathways and both involve increased BMP-4 expression (96,97). BMP-4 overexpression at connective tissue sites leads to focal osteogenesis at those sites (98,99). A direct link of FOP to the BMP-4 gene has not yet been proven and remains circumstantial. Genetic mutations in FOP could reside anywhere in the BMP-4 signaling pathway, or in other molecular pathways that affect the level of BMP-4 expression (Fig. 4). Additional information about the cellular and molecular events that occur during progression of FOP lesion formation as well as a better understanding of the events that induce bone formation during normal embryonic development and fracture healing will both expand the list of candidate genes and focus on the most likely causes of this disorder.

Other Candidate Genes Homeotic genes, sonic hedgehog, Indian hedgehog, patched, smoothened, gli, jun, PTHrp, scleraxis, and the newly described osteogenic transcription factor Osf2/Cbfa1 are involved in upstream and downstream BMP-4 signaling (100–110). In addition, Type I and Type II BMP receptors as well as the intracellular signaling molecules SMADs 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are involved in the regulation of pathways involved in endochondral osteogenesis (111–113). These genes, as well as those that encode inhibitors Noggin and Chordin are all plausible candidate genes for FOP (103,114–118). The presence of multiple osteochondromas in some FOP patients raises the intriguing possibility that the exostoses genes (EXT1, 2, 3, and EXT-L) may be involved in this family. EXT1, EXT2, and EXT-L have been cloned and all four genes have been mapped to the human chromosomes (119,120). Linkage exclusion analyses with markers for these and other promising candidate genes may be revealing.

Prevention Regimens in FOP Preventive measures are directed at decreasing or avoiding episodes of trauma that might stimulate the induction of a new lesion. Early diagnosis of FOP is critical in preventing unnecessary biopsies which are likely to provoke disease flare-ups. Once FOP is diagnosed, all intramuscular injections and all dental blocks using local anesthetic must be avoided (25,37). Assiduous attention should be directed to dental hygiene in order to decrease the necessity for therapeutic dental intervention (37,121). Falls are a common cause of severe morbidity in patients with FOP (26). Trauma to the head has been found to be a common site of injury in FOP, and the injury profile included traumatic brain injuries, intracranial hemorrhage, and death. Deficiencies in coordinate gait and protective function likely accounted for the severity of head injuries in the FOP population. Precautions are recommended

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Fig. 4. Putative BMP signaling pathways. This composite schematic diagram depicts experimentally determined features of BMP signaling that have been identified in numerous in vitro and in vivo model systems including Drosophila, Xenopus, chicken, mouse, and humans. Each component of this pathway may not be active in every model system or in every cell type within a model system. + indicates an activating pathway; – indicates an inhibitory pathway. PTHrp, parathyroid hormone-related protein; PTH, parathyroid hormone; FGF, fibroblast growth factor; IHH, Indian hedgehog; SHH, sonic hedgehog; PTC, ptc, patched; SMO, smoothened; GLI, glioblastoma-derived oncogene family; BMP, bone morphogenetic protein; wnt, vertebrate wingless family; BMPR, receptors for BMPs*; Hox, vertebrate homeobox family; Fos and Jun, members of the AP1


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which are intended to minimize the risk of injury without compromising a patient’s functional level or independence. These include limitation of high risk activities, the use of protective head gear, and institution of safety improvements in living environments.

Treatment of FOP There is no established medical treatment for FOP (56,122,123). See Table 1 for treatment possibilities. The rarity of the disorder, its variable severity, and the fluctuating clinical course are substantial difficulties for evaluating potential therapies. Physical therapy used in an attempt to maintain joint mobility may be harmful if pursued aggressively provoking or exacerbating lesions (50). Surgical release of joint contractures is generally unsuccessful and risks new, trauma-induced heterotopic ossification(50). Osteotomy of ectopic bone to mobilize a joint is usually counterproductive because of robust heterotopic ossification at the operative site. Spinal bracing is ineffective and surgical intervention is associated with numerous complications (35). Dental therapy should preclude routine injection of local anesthetics and stretching of the jaw (37,38). Newer dental techniques for focused administration of anesthetic are available. Guidelines for general anesthesia have been reported (124). All intramuscular injections should be avoided (25). Adrenocorticotrophic hormone, corticosteroids, binders of dietary calcium, intravenous infusion of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents, radiotherapy, oral disodium etidronate, and warfarin (to inhibit gamma-carboxylation of osteocalcin) are ineffective (125,126). Two recent studies suggest possible limited benefits from a course of intravenous etidronate (127) or prophylactic use of 13 cis-retinoic acid (127,128). Accordingly, medical intervention is currently supportive. Creative use of BMP technology will likely have important applications in the inhibition of heterotopic ossification in diseases such as FOP. Soluble BMP receptors, dominant negative receptors, as well as pharmacologic use of recombinant BMP antagonists may be promising in binding and physiologically inactivating BMP where it is not needed or wanted (129). The hope for an effective treatment for FOP has been increased by the recent discovery of BMP-4 overexpression in the condition (6,9,10). “With so much being discovered about how the BMPs act,” says Brigid Hogan, a developmental geneticist at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, “it might be possible to develop drugs that would block some part of the BMPFig. 4. (continued) family of transcription factors; SMADs, members of the mothers-against-decapentaplegic family of signaling molecules; DAD, daughters against decapentaplegic; EGF, epidermal growth factor; HGF, hepatocyte growth factor; Osf2/Cbfa1, osteogenic induction transcription factor. *BMP signaling is mediated through a complex of Type I and Type II BMPRs; BMPR-IA is specific for cartilage differentiation and BMPR-IB is specific for apoptosis and cartilage formation in the embryo (111).

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Shore et al. Table 1 FOP: Laboratory Observations and Treatment Possibilities

Observation

Ref.

Type of analysis

Proposed pharmacologic class

Rationale for treatment

Severe lesional swelling and edema

(27,38)

Clinical

Glucocorticoids

Decrease edema

Perivascular lymphocytic infiltrate

(39)

Histologic

Glucocorticoids

Decrease early lymphocytic infiltration

Intense angiogenesis in early fibroproliferative lesions

(12,41)

Histologic

Anti-angiogenic agents

Inhibit angiogenesis

Elevated urinary bFGF during disease flareups

(41)

Biochemical, in vivo

Interferon, thalidomide

Downregulate expression and/or action of bFGF

Increased serum prostaglandin E2-like molecules

(131)

Biochemical, in vitro

Prostaglandin inhibitors

Decrease production of prostaglandin

Increased BMP-4 expression in FOP tissue

(10)

Molecular

BMP inhibitors

Decrease production or inhibit activity of BMP-4

4 pathway — and therefore prevent the progression of what is a horrible nightmare disease” (130).


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Acknowledgments The authors are indebted to Drs. Judah Folkman, William Gelbart, Victor McKusick, Maximilian Muenke, Vicki Rosen, Marshall Urist, Beth Valentine, Michael Whyte, John Wozney, and Michael Zasloff for their enduring intellectual contributions to this field and to the evolution of the work presented here. The authors dedicate this work to Jeannie Peeper (President of The International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association) and to all of the patients worldwide affected with FOP in appreciation for their continuous inspiration and in admiration of their steadfast courage. This work was supported in part by grants from the Medical Research Council (UK), International Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Association, The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, The Ian Cali Fellowship, The Gund Foundation, The European Neuromuscular Center, The Isaac & Rose Nassau Professorship of Orthopaedic Molecular Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health (R01-AR-41916).

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89. Sampath, T. K., Rashka, K. E., Doctor, J. S., Tucker, R. F., and Hoffmann, F. M. (1993) Drosophila transforming growth factor beta superfamily proteins induce endochondral bone formation in mammals. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 6004–6008. 90. Olmsted, E. A., Liu, C., Haddad, J. G., Shore, E. M., and Kaplan, F. S. (1996) Characterization of mechanisms controlling bone morphogenetic protein-4 message expression in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11, S164. 91. Lanchoney, T. F., Olmsted, E. A., Shore, E. M., Gannon, F. H., Zasloff, M. A., Rosen, V., and Kaplan, F. S. (1998) Characterization of bone morphogenetic protein-4 receptors in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. Clin. Orthop. 346, 38–45. 92. Shore, E. M., Xu, M., Shah, P. B., Janoff, H. B., Hahn, G. V., Deardorff, M. A., Sovinsky, L., et al.(1998) The human bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) gene: Molecular structure and transcriptional regulation. Calcif. Tissue Int. 63, 221–229. 93. Xu, M. and Shore, E. M. (1998) Mutational screening of the bone morphogenetic protein 4 gene in a family with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. Clin. Orthop. 346, 53–58. 93a. Virdi, A. S., Shore, E. M., Oreffo, R. O. C., Li, M., Connor, J. M., Smith, R., Kaplan, F. S., and Triffitt, J. T., (1999) Phenotypic and molecular heterogeneity in fibrodyplasia ossificans progressiva. Calif. Tissue Int. 65, 250–255. 94. Shore, E. M., Li, M., Calvert, G., Xu, M., Zasloff, M., and Kaplan, F. S. (1997) Identification of polymorphic markers for the human BMP-2 and BMP-4 genes. J. Bone Miner. Res. 12, S309. 95. Brighton, C. T., Lorich, D. G., Kupcha, R., Reilly, T. M., Jones, A. R., and Woodbury, R. A. (1992) The pericyte as a possible osteoblast progenitor cell. Clin. Orthop. 275, 287–299. 96. Nakase, T., Nomura, S., Yoshikawa, H., Hashimoto, J., Hirota, S., Kitamura, Y., et al. (1994) Transient and localized expression of bone morphogenetic protein 4 messenger RNA during fracture healing. J. Bone Miner. Res. 9, 651–659. 97. Bostrom, M. P., Lane, J. M., Berberian, W. S., Missri, A. A., Tomin, E., Weiland, A., et al. (1995) Immunolocalization and expression of bone morphogenetic proteins 2 and 4 in fracture healing. J. Orthop. Res. 13, 357–367. 98. Shimizu, K., Yoshikawa, H., Matsui, M., Masuhara, K., and Takaoka, K. (1994) Periosteal and intratumorous bone formation in athymic nude mice by Chinese hamster ovary tumors expressing murine bone morphogenetic protein-4. Clin. Orthop. 300, 274–280. 99. Takaoka, K., Yoshikawa, H., Hashimoto, J., Ono, K., Matsui, M., and Nakazato, H. (1994) Transfilter bone induction by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected by DNA encoding bone morphogenetic protein-4. Clin. Orthop. 300, 269–273. 100. Jabs, E. W., Muller, U., Li, X., Ma, L., Luo, W., Haworth, I. S., et al. (1993) A mutation in the homeodomain of the human MSX2 gene in a family affected with autosomal dominant craniosynostosis. Cell 75, 443–450. 101. Chen, Y. and Struhl, G. (1996) Dual roles for patched in sequestering and transducing Hedgehog. Cell 87, 553–563. 102. Vortkamp, A., Lee, K., Lanske, B., Segre, G. V., Kronenberg, H. M., and Tabin, C. J. (1996) Regulation of rate of cartilage differentiation by Indian hedgehog and PTH–related protein. Science 273, 613–622. 103. Holley, S. A., Neul, J. L., Attisano, L., Wrana, J. L., Sasai, Y., O’Connor, M. B., De Robertis, E. M., and Ferguson, E. L. (1996) The Xenopus dorsalizing factor


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CHAPTER 13

Disorders Resulting from Inactivating or Activating Mutations in the Ca2+oSensing Receptor Edward M. Brown Introduction The cloning of the Ca2+o-sensing receptor (CaR), which is a G proteincoupled receptor (GPCR) that responds to changes in the extracellular calcium concentration (Ca2+o), has enabled identification of several inherited disorders of Ca2+o homeostasis that result from either activating or inactivating mutations of this recently recognized receptor. Inactivating mutations produce hypercalcemic syndromes, while activating mutations produce a form of hypocalcemia resembling hypoparathyroidism. In addition to elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of these disorders exhibiting “resistance” or “oversensitivity” to actions of Ca2+o that are mediated by the CaR, the identification of inherited diseases of this receptor has afforded “experiments-in-nature” that have clarified substantially the CaR’s normal physiological roles in parathyroid and kidney. This chapter will briefly describe the discovery of the CaR and its roles in normal physiology, delineate in more detail the principal clinical and biochemical features of these inherited diseases of the receptor and illustrate how these disorders have clarified further the CaR’s physiological roles. More detailed descriptions of the molecular biology, regulation and other properties of this novel receptor and its role in regulating diverse tissues, both those involved and those uninvolved in systemic mineral ion homeostasis, may be found in recent reviews (1,2).

Roles of the Ca2+o-Sensing Receptor (CaR) in Normal Calcium Homeostasis Virtually all physiological processes utilize intra- and/or extracellular calcium (Ca2+) ions in some fashion (3,4). Cytosolic free calcium ions (Ca2+i) play The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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key roles as an intracellular second messenger and as an enzymic cofactor, coordinating and controlling cellular functions as diverse as hormonal secretion, muscular contraction, glycogen metabolism, cellular differentiation, proliferation and motility (3). The basal level of Ca2+i, generally in the range of 100 nM, is about four orders of magnitude lower than the extracellular ionized calcium concentration (Ca2+o) ( ~1 mM). Ca2+i undergoes large, rapid increases upon cellular activation due to release of Ca2+ from various intracellular stores and/or uptake of calcium ions through Ca2+-permeable channels in the plasma membrane. In contrast, the level of Ca2+o measured in the blood remains almost invariant under normal circumstances, fluctuating from its mean value by only a few percent (4–6). Ca2+ o also serves diverse essential functions, being crucial for clotting of the blood, maintaining skeletal integrity, and regulating neuromuscular excitability and other processes. The homeostatic system maintaining near constancy of Ca2+o includes two principal elements (Fig. 1) (3a,4–6). The first are several types of cells that recognize Ca2+o as their major physiological, “first” messenger, which controls the secretion of calciotropic hormones from parathyroid cells, thyroidal C-cells, and renal proximal tubular cells. These Ca2+o-induced changes in the secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcitonin (CT), and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), respectively, modulate the second element of the homeostatic system, namely the effector tissues, bone, intestine, and kidney (see Fig. 1), that normalize Ca2+o by altering their transport of calcium and/or phosphate ions into or out of the extracellular fluid. Although it was for many years clear that the capacity of parathyroid and other cells to sense Ca2+o was crucial for the maintenance of mineral ion homeostasis, the mechanism(s) underlying the Ca2+o-sensing ability of these cells remained obscure until recently.

Cloning and Characterization of a G Protein-Coupled CaR Expression cloning in Xenopus laevis has provided a useful vehicle for isolating the cDNAs encoding phosphoinositide (PI)-coupled receptors for which there are no molecular probes available. X. laevis oocytes are injected with RNA extracted from a tissue expressing such a receptor. The oocytes then synthesize the receptor protein, which, in turn, couples to the oocyte’s endogenous G protein(s) and phospholipase C (PLC), resulting in an IP3- and Ca2+i-mediated stimulation of Ca2+-activated chloride channels following exposure of the oocytes to that receptor’s agonists. Parathyroid cells were known to respond to elevated levels of Ca2+o with activation of PLC (7,8), transient and then sustained rises in Ca2+i (9) and inhibition of adenylate cyclase that is sensitive to pertussis toxin (10), suggesting that the putative CaR was a GPCR that was linked to stimulation and inhibition, respectively, of PLC and adenylate cyclase (4). Furthermore, injection of X. laevis oocytes with parathyroid mRNA isolated from bovine parathyroid glands rendered them responsive to Ca2+o (11,12). Brown et al. (13) subsequently used the oocyte system to screen a cDNA library constructed from a highly active


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Fig. 1. Schematic diagram illustrating the regulatory system maintaining Ca2+o homeostasis. The solid arrows and lines show the effects of PTH and 1,25(OH)2D3; the dotted arrows and lines demonstrate examples of how Ca2+ or phosphate ions exert direct actions on target tissues. Abbreviations are the following: Ca2+, calcium; P04, phosphate; ECF, extracellular fluid; PTH, parathyroid hormone; 1,25(OH)2D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D; minus signs show inhibitory actions while plus signs illustrate positive effects. (Reproduced with permission from ref. 3a.)

fraction of this mRNA to isolate a full length, functionally active CaR clone. The use of hybridization-based screening techniques subsequently permitted cloning of additional, highly homologous CaRs from human (14) (Fig. 2; 14a) and chicken parathyroid (15), human (16), rat (17), and rabbit kidney (18), rat C-cell (19,20), and rat brain (21). All of these CaRs are activated not only by elevated levels of Ca2+o but also by Mg2+o as well as a variety of inorganic (e.g., the trivalent cation, gadolinium [Gd3+]) and organic polycations (i.e., spermine and neomycin). Of these various polycations, both Mg2+o (22) and spermine (23) are present in vivo at levels that might permit them to act as physiological agonists of the CaR. All of these CaRs represent species and tissue homologs of the same ancestral gene and share three principal structural domains on the basis of their deduced amino acid sequences. The first is a largely hydrophilic, amino-terminal extracellular domain (ECD) comprising more than 600 amino acids. A second, predominantly hydrophobic region follows, which contains about 250 amino acids, including those encoding seven transmembrane (TM) segments that are characteristic of the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). The third

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domain is a cytoplasmic, carboxyl (C)-terminal tail of slightly more than 200 amino acids. The sensing of polycationic CaR agonists is thought to take place within the ECD based on studies using chimeric receptors created from the CaR and the structurally related, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). For example, a chimeric receptor containing the CaR’s ECD fused to the TMs and C-terminal tail of one of the mGluRs responds to agonists of the CaR but not to those of the mGluRs (24). Conversely, a chimeric receptor with an mGluR’s ECD and the CaR’s TMs and C-terminal tail recognizes mGluR agonists but not Ca2+o. Additional members of a growing family of the GPCRs to which the CaR and the mGluRs belong, the so-called family C GPCRs, are the recently-cloned GABAB receptors (25) and a substantial subfamily of putative pheromone receptors cloned from the rat vomeronasal organ (26,27). The latter respond to environmental clues thought to be involved in regulating instinctual behavior. All of the family C GPCRs have large ECDs that likely evolved from the bacterial periplasmic binding proteins (PBPs) (25,28,29). The latter bind a variety of extracellular ligands involved in chemotaxis or destined for cellular uptake by associated bacterial transport systems (30,31). The CaR is thought to bind through its intracellular domains (i.e., intracellular loops and carboxyl-terminal tail) to the G proteins linking it to modulation of various intracellular effector systems (most likely Gq/11 for activation of PLC [32] and Gi for inhibition of adenylate cyclase [10,32,33]), although the cloned receptor has not yet been definitively proven to couple directly to adenylate cyclase. The CaR also activates phospholipase A2 (PLA2) (34,35) and phospholipase D (PLD) (34), most likely indirectly through a protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated mechanism (34). The receptor has also recently been shown to activate the mitogenactivated protein kinase (MAP kinase) pathway in rat-1 fibroblasts, probably via tyrosine phosphorylation of a member of the c-SRC tyrosine kinase family (36). Only a single isoform of the CaR apparently activates all of these diverse signal transduction pathways. In contrast, there are multiple mGluR isoforms, each of which is linked to one principal effector system (i.e., mGluRs 1 and 5, for instance, couple to PLC) (37). The existence of additional isoforms of the CaR (or for that matter GPCRs activated by other ions), however, has by no means been excluded.

Fig. 2. Schematic illustration of the predicted structure of the Ca2+o-sensing receptor protein, showing activating and inactivating mutations. Symbols are given in key. Additional abbreviations include the following: SP, predicted signal peptide; HS, hydrophobic segment. Also shown are the positions of missense and nonsense mutations that cause either familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH) or autosomal dominant hypocalcemia; mutations are indicated with the three letter amino acid code. The normal amino acid is indicated prior to and the mutant amino acid after the number of the relevant codon. (Reproduced with permission from ref. 14a.)

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Tissue Distribution and Physiological Roles of the CaR Transcripts for the CaR are present in a wide variety of tissues, many of which play no obvious roles in mineral ion metabolism. These tissues and cell types include the parathyroid glands, C-cells, kidney, stomach (38) and intestines (39), lung, and various regions of the brain (1,21,40), as well as lens epithelial cells (41), fibroblasts (36), and diverse cells within the bone marrow (42). The use of in situ hybridization with CaR-specific probes combined with immunohistochemistry using anti-CaR antibodies has permitted more detailed localization of the CaR in these tissues, including two key tissues involved in Ca2+o homeostasis, parathyroid and kidney (21,40,43,44), where the CaR’s putative roles are delineated in more detail shortly. In bovine parathyroid cells, the CaR stimulates PLC, PLA2 and PLD (34) and likely also inhibits adenylate cyclase (4,10), as noted above. Which, if any, of these intracellular signaling pathways, however, is/are the major one(s) through which the CaR produces its atypical inhibition, as opposed to stimulation, of PTH secretion remains a key unsolved problem. In any event, the marked impairment of high Ca2+o-induced inhibition of PTH secretion in patients with neonatal severe hyperparathyroidism (NSHPT) (45,46) as a result of their harboring homozygous inactivating CaR mutations (1,2,4) or in mice homozygous for targeted disruption of the CaR gene (47) (see below) provides strong support for the crucial, nonredundant role of the CaR in Ca2+o-regulated PTH release. In addition, the use of “calcimimetic” CaR agonists has shown that the CaR is probably also responsible for the high Ca2+o-mediated reduction in preproPTH mRNA levels (48). Finally, the pronounced chief cell hyperplasia in both NSHPT (49,50) and mice that are homozygous for “knockout” of the CaR (47) provides indirect evidence for an important role of this receptor in tonically suppressing parathyroid cellular proliferation. Interestingly, in the C-cell the CaR couples to stimulation, rather than inhibition, of secretion (19,20,51), as it does in the ACTH-secreting AtT-20 cell line (52). Thus depending upon the cellular context in which it is expressed, the CaR can either stimulate or inhibit hormonal secretion. Transcripts for the CaR are expressed along much of the nephron, based on the use of reverse transcription-based polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In one study CaR transcripts were present in the glomerulus, proximal convoluted and straight tubule, MTAL and cortical thick ascending limb (CTAL), distal convoluted tubule (DCT) and cortical (CCD), outer medullary (OMCD) and inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) (43). In another study, transcripts were identified in MTAL, CTAL, DCT, and CCD (44). Additional studies using specific anti-CaR antisera have helped to resolve the differences between the results of these two studies (53). In CTAL, where CaR transcripts and protein are present at the highest levels, the CaR is located mainly on the basolateral plasma membrane where it likely senses systemic (e.g., blood) levels of Ca2+o. The CaR in CTAL and perhaps also in DCT regulates the tubular handling of Ca2+ and Mg2+,


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enhancing their reabsorption if Ca2+o is low and reducing it when Ca2+o is high (54). The CaR and PTH receptors are both expressed in CTAL and DCT, which may permit mutually antagonistic interactions between the actions of these two receptors on the reabsorption of Ca2+ in the distal nephron (55,56). In the IMCD, the CaR is situated largely on the apical (e.g., luminal) cell surface, thereby permitting monitoring of the level of Ca2+o within the final urine (57). This apical CaR likely mediates the reduction in vasopressin-stimulated reabsorption of water that is observed when isolated tubules from the rat IMCD are perfused with high Ca2+o, an action that could potentially diminish the risk of renal stone formation when renal Ca2+ excretion is increased (57). Moreover, through inhibition of NaCl reabsorption in the MTAL (2), the CaR may further diminish maximal urinary concentrating capacity by decreasing the medullary hypertonicity that drives vasopressin-mediated, transepithelial water flow in the renal collecting duct (58).

Inherited Disorders Exhibiting Extracellular Calcium Resistance Familial Hypocalciuric Hypercalcemia (FHH) Clinical and Biochemical Features of FHH In 1972, Foley et al. described the unusually benign clinical features of a form of hypercalcemia that they termed familial benign hypercalcemia (FBH) (59). Although several forms of familial hypercalcemia had previously been described, this report was the first to outline clearly the characteristic clinical features of this syndrome. Later studies confirmed and extended the initial desciption of FBH by Foley et al. (59). Marx and coworkers called this syndrome of mild and largely asymptomatic hypercalcemia, familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH), because of the characteristic alteration in renal handling of Ca2+ exhibited by affected family members (60,61). Both the terms FHH and FBH are still used to describe this syndrome, but I shall use the former of these two names in this chapter. FHH is an uncommon genetic syndrome, occurring with a frequency that is probably about 1% of that of primary hyperparathyroidism. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion, being characterized by lifelong, usually asymptomatic hypercalcemia that is mild to moderate in its severity (usually 95%)

MEN2 (10 cen-10q.11.2) MEN2a

a

Autosomal dominant inheritance of the MEN syndromes has been established. Abbreviations: del = deletion; ins = insert.

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 (MEN1)

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MEN1 and MEN2. For example, patients suffering from islet cell tumors of the pancreas and phaeochromocytomas, or from acromegaly and phaeochromocytoma have been described and these patients may represent an “overlap” syndrome. All these forms of MEN may either be inherited as autosomal dominant syndromes, or they may occur sporadically i.e., without a family history. However, this distinction between sporadic and familial cases may sometimes be difficult as in some sporadic cases the family history may be absent because the parent with the disease may have died before developing symptoms. In this chapter, the main clinical features and molecular genetics of MEN1 will be discussed. MEN2 is discussed in Chapter 15.

MEN1: Clinical Findings, Biochemical Abnormalities, and Treatment The incidence of MEN1 has been estimated from randomly chosen post mortem studies to be 0.25%, and to be 18% amongst patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (2,6). The disorder affects all age groups, with a reported age range of 5–81 yr, and 80% of patients have developed clinical manifestations of the disorder by the fifth decade (2,4). The clinical manifestations of MEN1 are related to the sites of tumors and to their products of secretion. In addition to the triad of parathyroid, pancreatic, and pituitary tumors, which consistitute the major components of MEN1, adrenal cortical, carcinoid, facial angiofibromas, collagenomas, and lipomatous tumors have also been described (3,4).

Parathyroid Tumors Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common feature of MEN1 and occurs in more than 95% of all MEN1 patients (2,4). Patients may present with asymptomatic hypercalcaemia, or nephrolithiasis, or osteitis fibrosa cystica, or vague symptoms associated with hypercalcaemia, for example polyuria, polydipsia, constipation, malaise, or occasionally with peptic ulcers. Biochemical investigations reveal hypercalcaemia usually in association with raised circulating parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations. No effective medical treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism is generally available and surgical removal of the abnormally overactive parathyroids is the definitive treatment. However, all four parathyroid glands are usually affected with multiple adenomas or hyperplasia, although this histological distinction may be difficult, and total parathyroidectomy has been proposed as the definitive treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism in MEN1, with the resultant lifelong hypocalcaemia being treated with oral calcitriol (1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D3) (7). It is recommended that such total parathyroidectomy should be reserved for the symptomatic hypercalcaemic patient with MEN1, and that the asymptomatic hypercalcaemic MEN1 patient should not have parathyroid surgery but have regular assessments for the onset of symptoms and complications, when total parathyroidectomy should be undertaken.

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The incidence of pancreatic islet cell tumors in MEN1 patients varies from 30–80% in different series (1,2,4). The majority of these tumors produce excessive amounts of hormone, for example gastrin, insulin, glucagon, or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and are associated with distinct clinical syndromes. Gastrinomas These gastrin-secreting tumors represent over 50% of all pancreatic islet cell tumors in MEN1, and are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in MEN1 patients. This is due to the recurrent severe multiple peptic ulcers which may perforate. This association of recurrent peptic ulceration, marked gastric acid production and non β-islet cell tumors of the pancreas is referred to as the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Additional prominent clinical features of this syndrome include diarrhoea and steatorrhoea. The diagnosis is established by demonstration of a raised fasting serum gastrin concentration in association with an increased basal gastric acid secretion (8). Medical treatment of MEN1 patients with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome is directed to reducing basal acid output to less than 10 mmol/L, and this may be achieved by the parietal cell H+-K+-ATPase inhibitor, omeprazole. The ideal treatment for a nonmetastastic gastrinoma is surgical excision of the gastrinoma. However, in patients with MEN1 the gastrinomas are frequently multiple or extrapancreatic and surgery has not been successful (9,10). The treatment of disseminated gastrinomas is difficult and hormonal therapy with octreotide, which is a human somatostatin analog, chemotherapy with streptozotocin and 5-fluoroaracil, hepatic artery embolization, and removal of all resectable tumor have all occasionally been successful (2). Insulinoma These β-islet cell tumors secreting insulin represent one-third of all pancreatic tumors in MEN1 patients (2,4). Insulinomas also occur in association with gastrinomas in 10% of MEN1 patients, and the two tumors may arise at different times. Patients with an insulinoma present with hypoglycemic symptoms that develop after a fast or exertion and improve after glucose intake. Biochemical investigations reveal raised plasma insulin concentrations in association with hypoglycaemia. Circulating concentrations of C-peptide and proinsulin, which are also raised, may be useful in establishing the diagnosis, as may an insulin suppression test. Medical treatment, which consists of frequent carbohydrate feeds and diazoxide, is not always successful and surgery is often required. Most insulinomas are multiple and small, and preoperative localization with computed tomography scanning, coeliac axis angiography, and preperi operative percutaneous transhepatic portal venous sampling is difficult and success rates have varied. Surgical treatment, which ranges from enucleation of a single tumor to a distal pancreatectomy or partial pancreatectomy, has been curative in some patients. Chemotherapy, which consists of streptozotocin or octreotide, is used for metastatic disease.


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Glucagonoma These α-islet cell, glucagon-secreting pancreatic tumors, have been reported in a few MEN1 patients (2–4). The characteristic clinical manifestations of a skin rash (necrolytic migratory erythyema), weight loss, anemia, and stomatitis may be absent and the presence of the tumor is indicated only by glucose intolerance and hyperglucagonemia. The tail of the pancreas is the most frequent site for glucagonomas and surgical removal of these is the treatment of choice. However, treatment may be difficult as 50% of patients have metastases at the time of diagnosis. Medical treatment of these with octreotide, or with streptozotocin has been successful in some patients. VIPoma Patients with VIPomas, which are vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) secreting pancreatic tumors, develop watery diarrhea, hypokalemia and achlorhydria (the WDHA syndrome). This clinical syndrome has also been referred to as the Verner-Morrison syndrome or the VIPoma syndrome. VIPomas have been reported in only a few MEN1 patients and the diagnosis is established by documenting a markedly raised plasma VIP concentration (2). Surgical management of VIPomas, which are mostly located in the tail of the pancreas, has been curative. However, in patients with unresectable tumor, treatment with streptozotocin, octreotide, corticosteroids, indomethicin, metoclopramide, and lithium carbonate has proved beneficial. PPoma These tumors, which secrete pancreatic polypeptide (PP) are found in a large number of patients with MEN1 (2). No pathological sequelae of excessive PP secretion are apparent and the clinical significance of PP is unknown, although the use of serum PP measurements has been suggested for the detection of pancreatic tumors in MEN1 patients.

Pituitary Tumors The incidence of pituitary tumors in MEN1 patients varies from 15–90% in different series (2,4). Approximately 60% of MEN1 associated pituitary tumors secrete prolactin, 25% secrete growth hormone (GH), 3% secrete adenocorticotrophin (ACTH) and the remainder appear to be nonfunctioning. The clinical manifestations depend upon the size of the pituitary tumor and its product of secretion. Enlarging pituitary tumors may compress adjacent structures such as the optic chiasm or normal pituitary tissue and cause bitemporal hemianopia or hypopituitarism, respectively. The tumor size and extension are radiologically assessed by computed tomography scanning and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment of pituitary tumors in MEN1 patients is similar to that in non-MEN1 patients and consists of medical therapy or selective hypophysectomy by the transphenoidal approach if feasible, with radiotherapy being reserved for residual unresectable tumor.

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Patients with MEN1 may have tumors involving glands other than the parathyroids, pancreas, and pituitary. Thus carcinoid, adrenal cortical, facial angiofibromas, collagenomas, thyroid, and lipomatous tumors have been described in association with MEN1 (2–4). Carcinoid tumors, which occur more frequently in patients with MEN1 may be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait in association with MEN1. The carcinoid tumor may be located in the bronchi, the gastrointestinal tract, the pancreas, or the thymus. Most patients are asymptomatic and do not suffer from the flushing attacks and dyspnoea associated with the carcinoid syndrome, which usually develops after the tumor has metastasized to the liver. The incidence of asymptomatic adrenal cortical tumors in MEN1 patients has been reported to be as high as 40%. The majority of these tumors are nonfunctioning. However, functioning adrenal cortical tumors in MEN1 patients have been documented to cause hypercortisolaemia and Cushing’s syndrome, and primary hyperaldosteronism, as in Conn’s syndrome. Thyroid tumors, consisting of adenomas, colloid goiters, and carcinomas have been reported to occur in over 25% of MEN1 patients. However, the prevalence of thyroid disorders in the general population is high and it has been suggested that the association of thyroid abnormalities in MEN1 patients may be incidental and not significant. Multiple facial angiofibromas, which are identical to those observed in patients with tuberous sclerosis, have been observed in 88% of MEN1 patients (3), and collagenomas have been reported in >70% of MEN1 patients (3).

Molecular Genetics of MEN1 Models of Tumor Development The development of tumors may be associated with mutations or inappropriate expression of specific normal cellular genes, which are referred to as oncogenes (reviewed in refs. 1, 2, and 11). Two types of oncogenes referred to as "dominant" and "recessive" oncogenes have been described. An activation of "dominant" oncogenes leads to transformation of the cells containing them, and examples of this are the chromosomal translocations associated with the occurrence of chronic myeloid leukemia and Burkitt’s lymphoma. In these conditions, the mutations that lead to activation of the oncogene are dominant at the cellular level, and therefore only one copy of the mutated gene is required for the phenotypic effect. Such dominantly acting oncogenes may be assayed in cell culture by first transferring them into recipient cells and then scoring the numbers of transformed colonies, and this is referred to as the "transfection assay." However, in some inherited neoplasms that may also arise sporadically, such as retinoblastoma, tumor development is associated with two recessive mutations that inactivate oncogenes, and these are referred to as "recessive


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oncogenes." In the inherited tumors, the first of the two recessive mutations is inherited via the germ cell line and is present in all the cells. This recessive mutation is not expressed until a second mutation, within a somatic cell, causes loss of the normal dominant allele. The mutations causing the inherited and sporadic tumors are similar but the cell types in which they occur are different. In the inherited tumors the first mutation occurs in the germ cell, whereas in the sporadic tumors both mutations occur in the somatic cell. Thus, the risk of tumor development in an individual who has not inherited the first germ-line mutation is much smaller, as both mutational events must coincide in the same somatic cell. In addition, the apparent paradox that the inherited cancer syndromes are due to recessive mutations but dominantly inherited at the level of the family is explained because, in individuals who have inherited the first recessive mutation, a loss of a single remaining wild-type allele is almost certain to occur in at least one of the large number of cells in the target tissue. This cell will be detected because it forms a tumor, and almost all individuals who have inherited the germ-line mutation will express the disease, even though they inherited a single copy of the recessive gene. This model involving two (or more) mutations in the development of tumors is known as the “two hit” or Knudson’s hypothesis. The normal function of these recessive oncogenes appears to be in regulating cell growth and differentiation, and these genes have also been referred to as "anti-oncogenes" or "tumor suppressor genes." An important feature which has facilitated the investigation of these genetic abnormalities associated with tumor development is that the loss of the remaining allele (i.e., the “second hit”), which occurs in the somatic cell and gives rise to the tumor, often involves a large scale loss of chromosomal material. This “second hit” may be detected by a comparison of the DNA sequence polymorphisms (Fig.1) in the leukocytes and tumor obtained from a patient, and observing a loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the tumors (Fig. 2).

The MEN1 Gene The gene causing MEN1 was localized to chromosome 11q13 by genetic mapping studies that investigated MEN1 associated tumors for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) (Fig. 2) and by segregation studies in MEN1 families (Fig. 3) (12–14). The results of these studies, which were consistent with Knudson’s model for tumor development, indicated that the MEN1 gene represented a putative tumor suppressor gene. Further genetic mapping studies defined a +3, thereby establishing linkage between MEN1 and INT2 loci. (Adapted with permission from ref. 32.)

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Fig. 4. Schematic representation of the genomic organization of the MEN1 gene. The human MEN1 gene consists of 10 exons that span >9 kb of genomic DNA and encodes a 610 amino acid protein (4,5). The 1.83-kb coding region is organized into 9 exons (exons 2–10, indicated by the hatched boxes) and 8 introns (indicated by a line but not to scale). The sizes of the exons (size range 88–1312bp) and introns (size range 41 to 1564 bp) are shown, and the start (ATG) and Stop (TGA) sites in exons 2 and 10, respectively, are indicated. Exon 1, the 5' part of exon 2 and 3' part of exon 10 are untranslated (indicated by the open boxes). The sites of 44 mutations (11 nonsense, 19 deletions, 3 duplications, 2 insertion, 2 insertional substitutions, 1 donor splice site, and 6 missense) and 6 different polymorphisms identified by one study (18) are shown below. (Adapted with permission from ref. 18.)


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Fig. 5. Detection of mutation in exon 3 in family 8/89 by restriction enzyme analysis. DNA sequence analysis of individual II.1 revealed a 1-bp deletion at the second position (GGT) of codon 214 (A). The deletion has caused a frameshift that continues to codon 223 before a stop codon (TGA) is encountered in the new frame. The 1-bp deletion results in the loss of an MspI restriction enzyme site (C/CGG) from the normal (wild type, WT) sequence (A) and this has facilitated the detection of this mutation in the other affected members (II.4, III.3, and III.4) of this family (B). The mutant (m) PCR product is 190 bp, whereas the wild-type (WT) products are 117 and 73 bp (C). The affected individuals were heterozygous, and the unaffected members were homozygous for the wild-type sequence. Individuals III.6 and III.10, who are 40-and 28-yr-old, respectively, are mutant gene carriers who are clinically and biochemically normal and this is due to the age-related penetrance

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Table 2 MEN1-Associated Tumors in Five Unrelated Families with a 4-bp (CAGT) Deletion at Codons 210 and 211 Family 1

2

3

4

5

+ + – – – +

+ – + – + –

+ + – – + –

+ + – – + –

+ + – + + –

Tumors Parathyroid Gastrinoma Insulinoma Glucagonoma Prolactinoma Carcinoid

+, presence; –, absence of tumors. (Adapted with permission from ref. 5.)

the dinucleotide repeat during replication, followed by excision of the 4-bp singlestranded loop (18). The deletions and insertions of codon 516 involve a poly(C)7 tract, and a slipped-strand mispairing model is also the most likely mechanism to be associated with this mutational hot spot (18). Thus, the MEN1 gene appears to contain DNA sequences that may render it susceptible to deletional and insertional mutations. Correlations between the MEN1 mutations and the clinical manifestations of the disorder appear to be absent. For example, a detailed study of 5 unrelated families with the same 4-bp deletion (CAGT) in codons 210 and 211 (Table 2) revealed a wide range of MEN1-associated tumors (18); all the affected family members had parathyroid tumors, but members of families 1, 3, 4, and 5 had gastrinomas, whereas members of family 2 had insulinomas. In addition, prolactinomas occurred in members of families 2, 3, 4, and 5 but not family 1, which was affected with carcinoid tumors. The apparent lack of genotype-phenotype correlations, which contrasts with the situation in MEN2, together with the wide diversity of mutations in the 1830-bp coding region of the MEN1 gene will make mutational analysis for diagnostic purposes in MEN1 time-consuming and expensive (5). Fig. 5. (conintued) of this disorder (Fig. 6). Individuals are represented as: male (square); female (circle); unaffected (open); affected with parathyroid tumors (filled upper right quadrant), with gastrinoma (filled lower right quadrant), with prolactinoma (filled upper left quadrant); and unaffected mutant gene carriers (dot in the middle of the open symbol). Individual I.2 who is deceased but was known to be affected (tumor details not known) is shown as a filled symbol. The age is indicated below for each individual at diagnosis or at the time of the last biochemical screening. The standard size marker (S) in the form of the 1-kb ladder is indicated. Cosegregation of this mutation with MEN1 in family 8/89 and its absence in 110 alleles from 55 unrelated normal individuals (N1–3 shown) indicates that it is not a common DNA sequence polymorphism. (Adapted with permission from ref. 18.)


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Fig. 6. The age distributions (A) and age-related penetrances (B) of MEN1 determined from an analysis of 174 mutant gene carriers. The age distributions were determined for 3 groups of MEN1 mutant gene carriers from 40 families in whom mutations were detected (18). The 91 members of group A presented with symptoms,

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MEN1 Mutations in Sporadic Non-MEN1 Endocrine Tumors Parathyroid, pancreatic islet cell, and anterior pituitary tumors may occur either as part of MEN1 or more commonly as sporadic, nonfamilial, tumors. Tumors from MEN1 patients have been observed to harbor the germ-line mutation together with a somatic LOH involving chromosome 11q13, as expected from Knudson’s model and the proposed role of the MEN1 gene as a tumor suppressor. However, LOH involving chromosome 11q13, which is the location of the MEN1, has also been observed in 5% to 50% of sporadic endocrine tumors, implicating the involvement of the MEN1 gene in the etiology of these tumors (14,21). Somatic MEN1 mutations have been detected in 12–21% of sporadic parathyroid tumors, 33% of gastrinomas, 17% of insulinomas, 36% of carcinoid tumors, and 90% penetrant by 30 yr (18). Screening for MEN1 tumors is difficult because the clinical and biochemical manifestations in members of any one family are not uniformly similar. The attempts to screen for the development of MEN1 tumors in the asymptomatic relatives of an affected individual have depended largely on measuring the serum concentrations of calcium, gastrointestinal hormones, and prolactin (reviewed in 2). Parathyroid overactivity causing hypercalcemia is invariably the first manifestation of the disorder (4) and this has become a useful and easy biochemical screening investigation. However, it is suggested that DNA analysis should now be introduced in the screening program of MEN1 families (2). The advantages of DNA analysis are that it requires a single blood sample and does not need to be repeated, unlike the biochemical screening tests (1). This is because the analysis is independent of the age of the individual and provides an objective result. However, the great diversity together with the widely scattered locations of the MEN1 mutations (Fig. 4), and a lack of genotype-phenotype correlation will make such mutational screening time consuming, arduous, and expensive. Nevertheless, an integrated program of both mutational analysis, to identify mutant gene carriers, and biochemical screening, to detect the development of tumors, would be of advantage and is to be recommended (32). Thus, a DNA test identifying an individual as a mutant gene carrier is likely to lead not to immediate medical or surgical treatment but to earlier and more frequent biochemical screening, whereas a DNA result that indicates that an individual is not at risk will lead to a decision for no further screening. At present it is suggested that individuals at high risk of developing MEN1 (i.e., mutant gene carriers) should be screened at least once per annum. Screening should commence in early childhood, as the disease has developed in some individuals by the age of 8 yr, and should continue for life as some individuals

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have not developed the disease until the eighth decade. Screening history and physical examination should be directed toward eliciting the symptoms and signs of hypercalcemia, nephrolithiasis, peptic ulcer disease, neuroglycopenia, hypopituitarism, galactorrhea, and amenorrhea in women, acromegaly, Cushing’s disease, visual field loss, and the presence of subcutaneous lipomata (2,3,33–35). Biochemical screening should include serum calcium and prolactin estimations in all individuals, and measurement of gastrointestinal hormones and more specific endocrine function tests should be reserved for individuals who have symptoms or signs suggestive of a clinical syndrome. Thus, the recent advances in molecular biology which have enabled the localization of the gene causing MEN1 have helped in the clinical management of patients and their families with this disorder.

Summary Combined clinical and laboratory investigations of MEN1 have resulted in an increased understanding of this disorder which may be inherited as an autosomal dominant condition. Defining the features of each disease manifestation in MEN1 has improved patient management and treatment, and has also facilitated a screening protocol to be instituted. The application of the techniques of molecular biology has enabled the identification of the gene causing MEN1 and the detection of mutations in patients. The function of the protein encoded by the MEN1 gene remains to be elucidated. However, these recent advances provide for the identification of mutant MEN1 gene carriers who are at a high risk of developing this disorder and thus require regular and biochemical screening to detect the development of endocrine tumors.

Acknowledgments The author is grateful to the Medical Research Council (MRC), UK for support; to my colleagues J. D. H. Bassett, S. A. Forbes, and A. A. J. Pannett for helpful discussions; and to S. Kingsley for typing the manuscript.

References 1. Thakker, R. V. and Ponder, B. A. J. (1988) Multiple endocrine neoplasia, in Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 2, no. 4 (Shepphard, M. C., ed.), Balliere Tindall, London, pp.1031–1068. 2. Thakker, R. V. (1995) Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1), in Endocrinology (DeGroot, L. J., Besser, G. K., Burger, H. G., Jameson, J. L., Loriaux, D. L., Marshall, J. C., et al., eds.), W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp. 2815–2831. 3. Marx, S. J. (1998) Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, in Genetic Basis of Human Cancer (Vogelstein, B. and Kinzler, K. W., eds.), McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 489–506.


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4. Trump, D., Farren, B., Wooding, C., Pang, J. T., Besser, G. M., Buchanan, K. D., et al. (1996) Clinical studies of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) in 220 patients. Q. J. Med. 89, 653–669. 5. Thakker, R. V. (1998) Multiple endocrine neoplasia: syndromes of the twentieth century. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 2617–2620. 6. Marx, S. J., Spiegel, A. M., Levine, M. A., Rizzoli, R. E., Lasker, R. D., Santora, A. C., et al (1982) Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia: the relation to primary parathyroid hyperplasia. N. Engl. J. Med. 307, 416–426. 7. Rizzoli, R., Green, J., and Marx, S. J. (1985) Primary hyperparathyroidism in familial multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 1. Long term follow–up of serum calcium levels after parathyroidectomy. Am. J. Med. 78, 467–474. 8. Wolfe, M. M. and Jensen, R. T. (1987) Zollinger–Ellison syndrome. Current concepts in diagnosis and management. N. Engl. J. Med. 317, 1200–1209. 9. Delcore, R., Hermreck, A. S., and Friesen, S. R. (1989) Selective surgical management of correctable hypergastrinemia. Surgery 106, 1094–1102. 10. Sheppard, B. C., Norton, J. A., Dopmann, J. L., Maton, P. N., Gardner, J. D., and Jensen, R. T. (1989) Management of islet cell tumors in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia: a prospective study. Surgery 106, 1108–1118. 11. Thakker, R. V. (1993) The molecular genetics of the multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes. Clin. Endocrinol. 39, 1–14. 12. Larsson, C., Skogseid, B., Oberg, K., Nakamura, Y., and Nordenskjold M. C. (1988) Multiple endocrine neoplasia type I gene maps to chromosome 11 and is lost in insulinoma. Nature 332, 85–87. 13. Thakker, R. V., Bouloux, P., Wooding, C., Chotai, K., Broad, P. M., Spurr, N. K., Besser, G. M. and O’Riordan, J. L. H. (1989) Association of parathyroid tumors in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 with loss of alleles on chromosome 11. N. Engl. J. Med. 321, 218–224. 14. Byström, M. C., Larsson, C., Blomberg, C., Sandelin, F., Falkmer, U., Skogseid, B., et al. (1990) Localisation of the MEN1 gene to a small region within chromosome 11q13 by deletion mapping in tumors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 87, 1968–1972. 15. Chandrasekharappa, S. C., Guru, S. C., Manickam P., Olufemi, S.-E., Collins, F. S., Emmert-Buck, M. R., et al. (1997 Positional cloning of the gene for multiple endocrine neoplasia-type 1. Science 276, 404–407. 16. The European Consortium on MEN1. (1997) Identification of the Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene. Hum. Mol. Genet. 6, 1177–1183. 17. Agarwal, S. K., Kester, M. B., Debelenko, L. V., Heppner, C., Emmert-Buck, M. R., Skarulis, M. C., et al. (1997) Germline mutations of the MEN1 gene in familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and related states. Hum. Mol. Genet. 6, 1169–1175. 18. Bassett, J. H. D., Forbes, S. A., Pannett, A. A. J., Lloyd, S. E., Christie, P. T., Wooding, C., et al. (1998) Characterisation of mutations in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). Am. J. Hum. Genet. 62, 232–244. 19. Teh, B. T., Farnebo, F., Phelan, C., et al. (1998) Mutation analysis of the MEN1 gene in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, familial acromegaly and familial isolated hyperparathyroidism. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 2621–2626. 20. Giraud, S., Zhang, C. X., Sinilnikova, O., Waatot, V., Salandre, J., Buisson, N., Waterlot, C. et al. (1998) Germ-line mutation analysis in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and related disorders. Am. J. Human Genet. 63, 455–467.

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21. Thakkker, R. V., Pook, M. A., Wooding, C., Boscaro, M., Scanarini, M., and Clayton, R. N. (1993a) Association of somatotrophinomas with loss of alleles on chromosome 11 and with gsp mutations. J. Clin. Invest. 91, 2815–2821. 22. Heppner, C., Kester, M. B., Agarwal, S. K., Debelenko, L. V., Emmert-Buck, M. R., Guru, S. C., et al. (1997) Somatic mutation of the MEN1 gene in parathyroid tumors. Nat. Genet. 16, 375–378. 23. Zhuang, Z., Vortmeyer, A. O., Pack, S., Huang, S., Pham, T. A., Wang, C., et al. (1997) Somatic mutations of the MEN1 tumor suppressor gene in sporadic gastrinomas and insulinomas. Cancer Res. 57, 4682–4686. 24. Zhuang, Z., Ezzat, S. Z., Vortmeyer, A. O., Weil, R., Oldfield, E. H., Park, W.-S., et al. (1997) Mutations of the MEN1 tumor suppressor gene in pituitary tumors. Cancer Res.57, 5446–5451. 25. Prezant, T. R., Levine, J., and Melmed, S. (1998) Molecular characterization of the Men 1 tumor suppressor gene in sporadic pituitary tumors. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 1388–1391. 26. Debelenko, L.V., Brambilla, E., Agarwal, S.K., Swalwell, J. I., Kester, M. B., Lubensky, I. A., et al. (1997) Identification of MEN1 gene mutations in sporadic carcinoid tumors of the lung. Hum. Mol. Genet. 6, 2285–2290. 27. Vortmeyer, A. O., Böni, R., Pak, E., Pack, S., and Zhuang, Z. (1998) Multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 alterations in MEN1-associated and sporadic lipomas. J. Nat. Cancer. Inst. 90, 398. 28. Farnebo, F., Teh, B. T., Kytölä, S., Svensson, A., Phelan, C., Sandelin, K., et al. (1998) Alterations of the MEN1 gene in sporadic parathyroid tumors. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 2627–2630. 29. Carling, T., Correea. P., Hessman, O., et al. (1998) Parathyroid MEN1 gene mutations in relation to clinical characteristics of non-familial primary hyperparathyroidism. J. Clin. Endo. Metab. 83, 2951–2954. 30. Tanaka, C., Kimura, T., Yang, P., Moritani, M., Yamaoka, T., Yamada, S., et al. (1998) Analysis of loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 11 and infrequent inactivation of MEN1 gene in sporadic pituitary adenomas. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83, 2631–2634. 31. Guru, S. C., Goldsmith, P. K., Burns A. L., Marx, S. J., Spiegel, A. M., Collins, F. S., and Chandrasekharappa, S. C. (1998) Menin, the product of the MEN1 gene, is a nuclear protein. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 1630–1634. 32. Thakker, R. V. (1994b) Molecular mechanisms of tumor formation in hereditary and sporadic tumors of the MEN1 type: the impact of genetic screening in the management of MEN1, in Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America (Gagel, R. F., ed.), W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp.117–135. 33. Marx, S. J., Vinik, A. I., Santen, R. J., Floyd, J. C., Mills, J. L., and Green, J. (1986) Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1: assessment of laboratory tests to screen for the gene in a large kindred. Medicine 65, 226–241. 34. Benson, L., Ljunghall, S., Akerstrom, G., and Oberg, K. (1987) Hyperparathyroidism presenting as the first lesion in multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 1. Am. J. Med. 82, 731–737. 35. Skogseid, B., Oberg, K., Benson, L., Lindgren, P. S., Lörelius, L. E., Lundquist, G., Wide, L., and Wilander, E. (1987). A standardized meal stimulation test of the endocrine pancreas for early detection of pancreatic endocrine tumors in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 syndrome: five years experience. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 64, 1233–1240. 36. Pang, J. T. and Thakker, R. V. (1994) Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. Eur. J. Cancer 30A, 1961–1968.

RET Signaling System

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CHAPTER 15

The Ret Signaling System and Its Role in Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Robert F. Gagel and Gilbert Cote Introduction The identification of mutations of the rearranged during transfection (c-ret) proto-oncogene causative for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) in 1993 was the first in a series of remarkable discoveries that have provided insight not only into the cause of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), pheochromocytoma, and parathyroid neoplasia, but also the development of the neurologic and urogenital systems. It also illustrates one example of the frenetic and sometimes illogical process by which scientific knowledge has progressed over the past decade, mixing the use of molecular genetics, molecular biology, and animal model systems to identify and characterize a unique signaling system.

Mapping the Causative Gene for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2 Efforts to map the causative gene for multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2 (MEN2) by genetic linkage techniques began in the early 1980s. The clarity of the MEN2 phenotype and the availability of large and well-defined families with this neoplastic syndrome made it an excellent choice for early mapping studies. MEN2A or classic Sipple syndrome (1) is the most common variant and is characterized by the development of the thyroid cancer in nearly 100% of gene carriers, unilateral or bilateral pheochromocytoma in 50%, and hyperparathyroidism characterized by multiglandular hyperplasia or adenomas in 10–20%. MEN2B, a less common variant (2–4), is characterized by the association of MTC, pheochromocytoma, oral and gastrointestinal neuromas, and bony changes similar to Marfan’s syndrome The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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(long thin arms, legs, and fingers and pectus abnormalities). Less common variants of MEN2A include familial MTC (hereditary MTC without other components of MEN2A) (5), MEN2A with cutaneous lichen amyloidosis (a pruritic skin lesion located over the central upper back) (6,7), and MEN2A and Hirschsprung disease (loss of neuronal innervation of the gastrointestinal tract) (8). All variants are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and the phenotypes suggested a gene that was involved in endocrine, neurologic, and bony development. The identification of gene carriers in these kindreds was facilitated by the recognition that MTC produces a small peptide hormone, calcitonin, that made it possible to diagnose MTC during the first and second decades of life (9). This observation not only led to improved diagnosis and treatment, but further enlarged the pool of well-defined genetic subjects available for mapping studies. Although efforts to map the gene began in 1981, the causative gene was not mapped to a central chromosome 10 locus until 1987 (10,11). The region containing the causative gene was progressively narrowed and mutations of the Ret proto-oncogene were identified in 1993 (12,13).

The Ret Proto-oncogene and the PTC Rearrangement The Ret proto-oncogene encodes a tyrosine kinase receptor (Fig. 1). The extracellular domain contains a cadherin-like region, whose function is unknown, and a cysteine-rich domain. The intracellular domains are similar to those found in other tyrosine kinase receptors. The gene was first identified as a potential oncogene in 1986 when a rearranged form of this receptor was shown to cause transformation in the NIH 3T3 cells, a model that identifies transforming activity based on cell growth and colony formation in soft agar (14,15). The first evidence that Ret could function naturally as an oncogene was the identification of a rearrangement in papillary thyroid carcinoma, now known as the papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) oncogene (Fig. 2). One-third to one-half of papillary thyroid carcinomas express one of three rearranged forms of Ret in which the promoter sequences from a constitutively expressed gene drive the expression of the downstream tyrosine kinase domain (16). The breakpoint for each of these rearrangements occurs in intron 11, just downstream of the plasma membrane spanning region of the receptor (Fig. 2). In this particular type of rearrangement the tyrosine kinase is expressed intracellularly as a soluble factor, devoid of the plasma membrane and the extracellular sequences that normally regulate its function. The importance of this rearrangement in the development of PTC is underscored by the fact that one-third to one-half of thyroid carcinomas in children exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster express one of these three rearrangements (17–19). For unclear reasons the PTC arrangement is unique to papillary thyroid carcinoma and is rarely found in other tumors.


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Fig. 1. The Ret/GFR receptor complex. Ret and GFR-a form the extracellular receptor for GDNF (glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor). GDNF activates the Ret tyrosine kinase receptor, activating the JNK/SAPK and ERK 1/2 pathways.

Activating Mutations of the c-ret Proto-oncogene in Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Activating mutations of c-ret that cause hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma fall into two broad categories, missense mutations within the cysteine-rich extracellular domain or mutations of the intracellular tyrosine kinase domain (Fig. 3). Extracellular Domain Mutations The extracellular domain mutations convert highly conserved cysteines to another amino acid. Mutations of codon 634 in exon 11 (Table 1) account for over 80% of all mutations in hereditary MTC (20). The most common coding change is a cys634arg mutation that accounts for approximately one-half of all mutations in hereditary MTC (Fig. 3, see Table 1). Mutations of codons 630 (exon 11) and 609, 611, 618, and 620 (exon 10) account for approx 15% of the remaining mutations in hereditary MTC (Fig. 3, see Table 1) (20). In general, mutations of codon 634 most commonly cause classic MEN2A and those in exon 10 (609, 611, 618, and 620) mutations cause FMTC, although overlap exists (20). An important point in the clinical management of kindreds with hereditary MTC is that designation of an FMTC kindred should be based on assessment of 10 or more family members over several generations. Misclassification of death caused by pheochromocytoma in classic MEN2A kindreds was common prior to the recognition of MEN2A in 1961 and therefore older family history may be less than helpful in establishing the presence or absence of pheochromocytoma in the family.

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Fig. 2. The papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) oncogene. A chromosome 10 inversion (A) results in a rearranged form of Ret. At least 3 variants of the PTC oncogene with different promoters (Ret/PTC1, Ret/PTC2, and Ret/PTC3) have been identified. In each the breakpoint within Ret occurs in intron 11.

The mechanisms by which these mutant sequences cause transformation has, in part, been elucidated. Mutations of the extracellular domain affect highly conserved cysteines that regulate receptor dimerization. Convincing evidence from several laboratories has shown that a codon 634 mutation induces receptor dimerization (21,22) and activation of JNK/SAPK and ERK 1/2 pathways leading to transformation (Fig. 1) (23,24). Intracellular Domain Mutations At least eight different intracellular missense mutations have been associated with hereditary MTC (Fig. 3, see Table 1). The most common is a codon 918 missense mutation that accounts for 3–5% of all germline mutations (20,25) and is found as a somatic mutation in approx 25% of all sporadic MTCs (26). Mutations of codons 883 and 922 have been identified in a handful of MEN2B patients (Fig. 3, see Table 1). Codon 768, 791, and 891 mutations have been found in a few FMTC kindreds and codon 790 and 804 mutations have been identified in a few kindreds with either MEN2A or FMTC (Fig. 3, see Table 1) (27). The numbers of kindreds identified with the intracellular domain mutations is small suggesting a larger experience will be required before definitive genotype-phenotype correlations can be made.


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Fig. 3. Mutations of the Ret proto-oncogene causative for hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma. The extracellular domain mutations (codons 609–634 in the cysteine-rich domain) are the most common and may be associated with either MEN2A or FMTC. The intracellular domain mutations (in the tyrosine kinase domain) cause a diverse group of indicated clinical syndromes. Abbreviations as described in the text.

The mechanism of transformation for an intracellular mutation (codon 918) differs from that observed for the extracellular domain mutations. Dimerization of the receptor does not seem to be involved in the activation event, although there is receptor autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of downstream proteins in the mitogen-activated protein-kinase (MAPK) cascade (Fig. 1) (21,22).

The Identification of the Ret Ligand and the Recognition of a Second Receptor Component At the time of its identification Ret was classified as an orphan (without known ligand) receptor. The first clue that one of the Ret ligands is glial cellderived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a small peptide identified as a survival factor for neurons (28), developed from nearly identical phenotypes in mice in which the genes for Ret (29) or GDNF (30,31) were inactivated. In these mice

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Table 1 Mutations of the Ret Proto-oncogene in Hereditary Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Affected codon

% of Hereditary mutations

Amino acid change normal→mutant

Nucleotide change normal→mutant

Clinical syndrome

10

609

0–1

cys→arg cys→gly cys→tyr

TGC→CGC TGC→GGC TGC→TAC

10

611

2–3

cys→ser cys→arg cys→tyr cys→phe cys→trp cys→ser cys→arg cys→gly cys→tyr cys→ser cys→phe cys→ser cys→arg cys→gly cys→tyr cys→ser cys→phe cys→trp cys→tyr

TGC→AGC TGC→CGC TGC→TAC TGC→TTC TGC→TGG TGC→AGC TGC→CGC TGC→GGC TGC→TAC TGC→TCC TGC→TTC TGC→AGC TGC→CGC TGC→GGC TGC→TAC TGC→TCC TGC→TTC TGC→TGG TGC→TAC

MEN2A/ FMTC MEN2A/ Hirschspring MEN2A/ FMTC

Exon

300 10

620

3–5

6–8

MEN2A/ Hirschsprung MEN2A/ FMTC

Gagel and Cote

10

618

MEN2A/ FMTC

MEN2A/ Hirschsprung

MEN2A/

630

0–1

301

11

634

75–85

11 11 13 13

635 637 768 790

rare rare 0–1 0–1

13 13

791 804

0–1 0–1

15 15 16 16

883 891 918 922

rare rare 3–5 rare

cys→ser cys→phe cys→ser cys→arg cys→gly cys→tyr cys→ser cys→phe cys→trp thr ser cys ala cys arg thr glu→asp leu→phe leu→phe tyr→phe val→met val→leu ala→phe ser→ala met→thr ser→tyr

TGC→TCC TGC→TTC TGC→AGC TGC→CGC TGC→GGC TGC→TAC TGC→TCC TGC→TTC TGC→TGG ACGAGCTGTGCC TGCCGCACG GAG→GAC TTG→TTC TTG→TTT TAT→TTT GTG→ATG GTG→TTG GCT→TTT TCG→GCG ATG→ACG TCC→TAC

FMTC MEN2A MEN2A/ CLA

MEN2A MEN2A FMTC MEN2A/ FMTC FMTC MEN2A/ FMTC MEN2B FMTC MEN2B MEN2B


11

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there was lack of normal renal development, a Hirschsprung-like failure of gastrointestinal neuronal development, and suboptimal development of the sympathetic nervous system derived from somites one through five. Subsequent studies proved GDNF to be a ligand for the Ret receptor. The third component of this receptor system was discovered by investigators looking for a receptor for GDNF. They identified an extracellular protein (GDNFR-α or GFR-α) with a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage to the cell membrane that functioned as a receptor for GDNF (32). By combining their observations with others studying Ret-GDNF interactions, the model of GDNF-Ret/GFR-α shown in Fig. 1 has evolved. Support for this model of the GDNF/Ret/GFR-α receptor system is provided by the finding of nearly identical phenotypes for Ret, GDNF, and GFR-α mice.

Role of Receptor System in Embryonic Development There is now compelling evidence that Ret/GFR and GDNF function as a signaling system to promote normal embryonic development of certain components of the enteric and sympathetic nervous system and normal renal development. Where this has been shown most clearly is in renal development (Fig. 4). GDNF (expressed in the developing metanephric blastema) interacts with the Ret/GFR-α receptor system in the developing ureteric bud leading to invasion and branching of the ureteric bud into the blastema with development of the collecting system (Fig. 4, upper panel). The absence of expression of either GDNF or Ret results in a failure of normal ingrowth (Fig. 4, lower panel) (30,31,33). In the GDNF knockout mice, normal branching of the ureteric bud can be rescued by placing pellets containing GDNF into the embryonic kidney (Fig. 4, lower panel) (31). The importance of this interaction between ligand and receptor during development is underscored by the neuronal development of the gastrointestinal tract during development. Ret-expressing cells migrate from the neural crest derived from somites 1–5 into the developing gastrointestinal tract (34). It is likely that Ret-expressing neural crest cells are enticed to migrate in response to the trophic effects of GDNF expression in the gastrointestinal tract. Thus it is the expression of a receptor by one cell type and the synchronous expression of the ligand by another that leads to the correct temporal and spatial organization of central and peripheral nervous system components.

The Ret/GFR Receptor Family At least 3 different GFR receptors (GFR-α-1, GFR-α-2, and GFR-α-3) (35–38) and 3 ligands (GDNF, neurturin, and persephin) (38) have been identified (see Table 2). The interrelationships between the several ligands and receptor systems is currently being defined. The components of the Ret/GFR receptor system and the several ligands are expressed widely throughout the nervous system and in a number of other tissues such as heart, lung, liver, and gonads, suggesting an important role for these receptor systems in normal embryonic development. In some cases there is coexpression of one of the three ligands with GFR and Ret; in other tissues some


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Fig. 4. Expression of Ret and GDNF in the developing kidney directs normal development of the collecting system. (A) GDNF, produced in the developing metanephric blastema, acts in a tropic manner to cause invasion by the ureteric bud. (B) In either a GDNF or Ret knockout mouse there is a failure of urogenital bud invasion into the developing metanephric blastema (left). This phenotype can be rescued by placing a pellet of GDNF into the developing kidney and maintaining it in organ culture (right).

components are not expressed, suggesting that there are other members of this receptor system or that not all components are required for functionality.

Mutations of the GDNF/Ret/GFR Signaling System in Hirschsprung Disease Several important pieces of information came together in the early 1990s and led to the elucidation of Ret proto-oncogene mutations in Hirschsprung disease. The first is the identification of a proximal chromosome 10 deletion in a child with Hirschsprung disease (39) that led to localization of the causative gene. Subsequent reports documented a wide spectrum of mutations, mostly inactivating. There are, however, several reports of apparent germline activating mutations leading to a Hirschsprung phenotype in (mutations of codon 609 (26), 618 (40) or 620) or outside of hereditary MTC. In addition, infrequent mutations of GDNF have been identified in Hirschsprung patients

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Gagel and Cote Table 2 The Ret/GFR Signaling System: Ligands, Expression, and Nomenclature. Gene

Glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) Neurturin (NTN)

Persephin (PSP) GFRα-1

Expression Brain, thyroid, lung, kidney, GI tract, GFRα-2, Ret Brain, PNS, thyroid, heart, lung, GI tract kidney, liver, sertoli cells, oviduct Brain, heart, kidney, liver Brain, PNS, thyroid,

Receptor

Ligand

GFRα-1

GFRα-1 GFRα-2 Unknown

GDNF>>Neurturin

GFRα-2

GFRα-3

Ret proto-oncogene

heart, lung, GI tract, kidney, liver Brain, PNS, thyroid, heart, lung, GI tract, kidney, liver, gonadal germ cells PNS, thyroid, heart, lung, GI tract, kidney, liver, Brain, PNS, thyroid, heart, lung, GI tract, kidney, liver

Neurturin>GDNF

Unknown

GDNF Neurturin

Abbreviations: GDNF, glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor; NTN, neurturin; GFRα-1, GDNFR-α; GFRα2, TmR-2, NTNR-α, RETL2, GDNFR-β; and PNS, peripheral nervous system.

(41). Mutations of the endothelin-B receptor gene (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man [OMIM] accession #131244) (42) and its ligand, endothelin-3 (OMIM accession #131242) (43) have also been identified in Hirschsprung disease.

A Role for the Ret/GFR Receptor System in Bone Development? The characteristic clinical features of MEN2B (long, thin fingers; and long legs and arms (leading to altered upper/lower body ratio, pectus abnormalities, and slipped femoral epiphysis) argue for a role of Ret in normal cartilaginous development. There have, to date, been no studies that focus on this aspect of bone development.


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The Clinical Use of Ret Mutational Analysis in the Management of Hereditary MTC The localization of Ret mutations causative for hereditary MTC into well-defined regions of the gene, the tight correlation between genotype and phenotype, and the knowledge that early intervention will alter the long-term course of this syndrome make it possible to utilize Ret testing for management of hereditary MTC. Approx 90% of all Ret mutations that cause MTC are located within a 100 nucleotide region. Several straightforward techniques have been utilized to identify mutations within this region, all based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification with analysis most commonly by direct DNA sequencing, restriction analysis (44), or less commonly by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (40). Additional PCR reactions are required to analyze exon 13, 14, 15, and 16 mutations (Table 1). Mutation analysis can be obtained from several commercial sources. (Information on availability of commercial genetic testing is available on the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Section of Endocrine Neoplasia Web Site at: http://endocrine.mdacc.tmc.edu/) Users of this information should be aware of the potential for error. Sample mixup, contamination of the PCR reaction, failure of specific primers to amplify the mutant allele, or transcribing errors lead to an error rate estimated to be at least 5% (45). Before a decision is made to consider surgical intervention in a gene carrier or to eliminate an MEN2 kindred member with a normal analysis from further screening, the test should be performed on a separately obtained and independently analyzed blood sample. More than 90% of clinicians who care for children with MEN2 utilize genetic testing to make a decision to perform a total thyroidectomy around the age of 5 yr. There is convincing evidence from studies initiated 25 yr ago that early thyroidectomy results in cure of 80–85% of children who are gene carriers (46). Since the mean age of surgery in these children was 13 yr, there is reason to believe that earlier thyroidectomy might further improve the cure rate. Earlier detection methods (using serum calcitonin measurments) did not detect MTC in a premalignant phase in over 50% of children, raising the possibility that metastasis might have occurred before thyroidectomy. It is less clear whether to perform early surgery on children who carry exon 13, 14, or 15 mutations (see Table 1), because of the generally accepted lower virulence of these tumors. Children with MEN2B and codon 918 mutations may have early metastasis and thyroidectomy should be performed early in life (within the first year). Genetic testing has not altered parathyroid gland and pheochromocytoma management other than the exclusion from screening of those family members who do not have a Ret mutation.

Summary and Conclusions Mutations of the Ret proto-oncogene have been implicated in the causation of multiple endocrine neoplasia and Hirschsprung disease. The GDNF/Ret/GFR-α

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receptor system defines a unique system for neural crest and neural differentiation and its further study will undoubtedly lead to an understanding of the temporal and spatial organization of the nervous system.

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16. Grieco, M., Santoro, M., Berlingieri, M. T., Melillo, R. M., Donghi, R., Bongarzone, I., et al. (1990) PTC is a novel rearranged form of the ret proto-oncogene and is frequently detected in vivo in human thyroid papillary carcinomas. Cell 60, 557–563. 17. Pisarchik, A. V., Ermak, G., Fomicheva, V., Kartel, N. A., and Figge J. (1998) The ret/PTC1 rearrangement is a common feature of Chernobyl-associated papillary thyroid carcinomas from Belarus. Thyroid 8, 133–139. 18. Klugbauer, S., Lengfelder, E., Demidchik, E. P., and Rabes, H. M. (1995) High prevalence of RET rearrangement in thyroid tumors of children from Belarus after the Chernobyl reactor accident. Oncogene 11, 2459–2467. 19. Bonn, D. (1996) RET oncogene puzzle in Chernobyl thyroid tumours [news]. Lancet 347, 1176. 20. Eng, C., Clayton, D., Schuffenecker, I., et al. (1996) The relationship between specific RET proto-oncogene mutations and disease phenotype in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. International RET mutation consortium analysis. JAMA 276, 1575–1579. 21. Asai, N., Iwashita, T., Matsuyama, M., and Takahashi, M. (1995) Mechansims of activation of the ret proto-oncogene by multiple endocrine neoplasia 2A mutations. Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 1613–1619. 22. Santoro, M., Carlomagno, F., Romano, A., Bottaro, D. P., Dathan, N. A., et al. (1995) Activation of RET as a dominant transforming gene by germline mutations of MEN2A and MEN2B. Science 267, 381–383. 23. Xing, S., Furminger, T. L., Tong, Q., and Jhiang, S. M. (1998) Signal transduction pathways activated by RET oncoproteins in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. J. Biol. Chem. 273, 4909–4914. 24. Chiariello, M., Visconti, R., Carlomagno, F., Melillo, R., Bucci, C., Defranciscis, V., et al. (1998) Signalling of RET receptor tyrosine kinase through the C-Jun NH2terminal protein kinases (JNKS)-evidence for a divergence of the erks and jnks pathways induced by RET. Oncogene 16, 2435–2445. 25. Hofstra, R. M., Landsvater, R. M., Ceccherini, I., Stulp, R. P., Stelwagen, T., Luo, Y., et al. (1994) A mutation in the RET proto-oncogene associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B and sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma. Nature 367, 375–376. 26. Wohllk, N., Cote, G. J., Bugalho, M. M. J., Ordonez, N., Evans, D. B., Goepfert, H., et al. (1996) Relevance of RET proto-oncogene mutations in sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 81, 3740–3745. 27. Bolino, A., Schuffenecker, I., Luo, Y., Seri, M., Silengo, M., Tocco, T., et al. (1995) RET mutations in exons 13 and 14 of FMTC patients. Oncogene 10, 2415–2419. 28. Lin, L. F., Doherty, D. H., Lile, J. D., Bektesh, S., and Colline, F. (1993) GDNF: a glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor for midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Science 260, 1130–1132. 29. Schuchardt, A., D’Agati, V., Larsson-Blomberg, L., Costantini, F., and Pachnis, V. (1994) Defects in the kidney and enteric nervous system of mice lacking the tyrosine kinase receptor Ret. Nature 367, 380–383. 30. Sanchez, M., Silos-Santiago, I., Frisen, J., He, B., Lira, S., and Barbacid, M. (1996) Newborn mice lacking GDNF display renal agenesis and absence of enteric neurons, but no deficits in midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Nature 382, 70–73. 31. Pichel, J. G., Shen, L., Sheng, H. Z., Granholm, A.-C., Drago, J., Grinberg, A., et al. (1996) Defects in enteric innervation and kidney development in mice lacking GDNF. Nature 382, 73–76.

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32. Jing, S., Wen, D., Yu, Y., Holst, P. L., Luo, Y., Fang, M., et al. (1996) GDNFinduced activation of the Ret protein tyrosine kinase is mediated by GDNFR-α, a novel receptor for GDNF. Cell 85, 1113–1124. 33. Moore, M. W., Klein, R. D., Farinas, I., Sauer, H., Armanini, M., Phillips, H., et al. (1996) Renal and neuronal abnormalities in mice lacking GDNF. Nature 382, 76–79. 34. Tsuzuki, T., Takahashi, M., Asai, N., Iwashita, T., Matsuyama, M., and Asai J. (1995) Spatial and temporal expression of the ret proto-oncogene product in embryonic, infant and adult rat tissues. Oncogene 10, 191–198. 35. Trupp, M., Raynoschek, C., Belluardo, N., and Ibanez, C. (1998) Multiple GPI-anchored receptors control GDNF-dependent and independent activation of the c-ret receptor tyrosine kinase. Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 11, 47–63. 36. Baloh, R., Gorodinsky, A., Golden, J., Tansey, M., Keck, C., Popescu, N., Johnson, E., and Milbrandt J. (1998) GFR-alpha-3 is an orphan member of the GDNF/ neurturin/persephin rececptor family. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 5801–5806. 37. Baloh, R. H., Tansey, M. G., Golden, J. P., Creedon, D. J., Heuckeroth, R. O., Keck, C. L., et al. (1997) TrnR2, a novel receptor that mediates neurturin and GDNF signaling through Ret. Neuron 18, 793–802. 38. Milbrandt, J., de Sauvage, F. J., Fahrner T. J., et al. (1998) Persephin, a novel neurotrophic factor related to GDNF and neurturin. Neuron 20, 245–253. 39. Puliti, A., Covone, A. E., Bicocchi, M. P., Bolino, A., Lerone, M., Martucciello, G., Jasonni, V., and Romeo G. (1993) Deleted and normal chromosome 10 homologs from a patient with Hirschsprung disease isolated in two cell hybrids through enrichment by immunomagnetic selection. Cytogenet. Cell. Genet. 63, 102–106. 40. Borst, M. J., Van Camp, J. M., Peacock, M. L., and Decker, R. A. (1995) Mutational analysis of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A associated with Hirschsprung’s disease. Surgery 117, 386–391. 41. Martucciello, G., Thompson, H., Mazzola, C., Morando, A., Bertagnon, M., Negri, F., et al. (1998) GDNF deficit in Hirschsprung’s disease. J. Pediatr. Surg. 33, 99–102. 42. Puffenberger, E., Hosoda, K., Washington, S., Nakao, K., deWit, D., Yanagisawa, M., and Chakravarti, A. (1994) A missense mutation of the endothelin-B receptor gene in multigenic Hirschsprung’s disease. Cell 79, 1257–1266. 43. Hofstra, R. M., Osinga, J., Tan-Sindhunata, G., Wu, Y., Kamsteeg, E. J., Stulp, R. P., et al. (1996) A homozygous mutation in the endothelin-3 gene associated with a combined Waardenburg type 2 and Hirschsprung phenotype (Shah-Waardenburg syndrome). Nature Genet. 12, 445–447. 44. Khorana, S., Gagel, R. F., and Cote G. J. (1994) Direct sequencing of PCR products in agarose gel slices. Nucleic Acids Res. 22, 3425–6. 45. Gagel, R. F., Cote, G. J., Martins Bugalho, M. J. G., Boyd, A. E., Cummings, T., Goepfert, H., et al. (1995) Clinical use of molecular information in the management of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A. J. Intl. Med. 238, 333–341. 46. Gagel, R. F., Tashjian, A. H., Jr., Cummings, T., Papathanasopoulos, N., Kaplan, M. M., DeLellis, R. A., et al. (1988) The clinical outcome of prospective screening for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2a: an 18–year experience. N. Engl. J. Med. 318, 478–484.

Genetics of Paget's Disease of Bone

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CHAPTER 16

Genetics of Paget’s Disease of Bone Frederick R. Singer and Robin J. Leach Introduction In 1877, Sir James Paget described a localized skeletal disorder affecting five patients over 40 yr of age, which he termed osteitis deformans (1). He chose this term for the disorder because of the deformities of his patients and the supposition that an unknown type of inflammatory process was responsible for its manifestations. His detailed and lucid description of the clinical and pathological characteristics of the disorder led to the use of the term Paget’s disease of bone to represent this condition of abnormal skeletal remodeling. The primary underlying abnormality appears to be local activation of osteoclastic bone resorption which can proceed slowly to affect an entire bone. The osteoclasts, which are often quite large, contain nuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions which closely resemble nucleocapsids of the Paramyxoviridae virus family (2). In response to the resorptive process, osteoblastic repair is initiated, but the resulting new bone formation is chaotic and excessive. This finally leads over many years to the enlarged, but fragile, bones that Paget noted in his patients.

Familial Aggregation of Paget’s Disease In 1882 Paget described an additional seven cases (3) and after having reported a total of 23 patients by 1889 (4), Paget noted that “I have tried in vain to trace any hereditary tendency to the disease. I have not found it twice in the same family.” He apparently was unaware of the brief reports of Pick (5) in 1883 and Lunn (6) in 1885, who described probable Paget’s disease in a father and daughter and in two sisters, respectively. During the first 25 yr after the initial paper of Paget the disorder was recognized by the characteristic skeletal deformities it produced. The first description of the radiographic appearance of Paget’s disease appeared in 1901 (7). The use of radiographs then allowed earlier diagnosis and The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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was to a considerable degree responsible for the recognition that the disease was not rare, as was first believed. When it was realized in 1929 that increased activity of the enzyme alkaline phosphatase in the circulation was associated with Paget’s disease (8), this blood test became another means of discovering previously unsuspected lesions after a radiographic survey was ordered. These diagnostic tests made Paget’s disease more widely recognized. Thus, during the first half of the 20th century, large series of patients were published (9,10) and numerous reports appeared of families in which more than one case was present (11). This led McKusick to state that “The hereditary nature of the process appears to be established (11). He felt that the accumulated data indicated that the trait for Paget’s disease was controlled by a simple autosomal Mendelian-dominant gene. In the earlier reports of familial Paget’s disease the average number of patients in an affected family was less than three. More recently, kindreds have been described with 10 (12) and 12 (13) affected family members. Paget’s disease has also been described in five identical twins, although only in one pair of twins was molecular evidence of monozygosity reported (14). Considering that one pair of identical twins is produced approximately every 300 births (15) it is somewhat surprising that so few examples have been reported. Although there can be little doubt that there is a genetic basis for Paget’s disease in some families, it is uncertain what proportion of the total population of patients with Paget’s disease represents sporadic disease and what proportion represents familial. In large studies involving 100 index cases or more, the proportion of patients with a family history of Paget’s disease was 1.1 to 13.8% (16) . A positive family history was generally defined as a known diagnosis of Paget’s disease in at least one first degree relative. The two largest series were published by Sofaer and colleagues (16) (407 patients) and Siris and colleagues (17) (788 patients). Sofaer found that 13.8% of the patients had a positive family history and that there was a 10-fold higher prevalence of Paget’s disease among parents and siblings of index cases compared with parents and siblings of unaffected spouses. Siris found that 12.3% of the patients had a positive family history and that first degree relatives of the patients had nearly seven times the prevalence of Paget’s disease as did the relatives of the spouses. It is quite possible that these studies underestimate the true proportion of familial Paget’s disease since the diagnosis is usually not apparent until the age of 50 yr and in many affected individuals there are no signs or symptoms. In support of this is a study of first-degree relatives of index cases in Spain (18). By utilizing bone scans, the most sensitive means of detecting Paget’s disease, Morales-Piga and colleagues found a 40% prevalence of familial Paget’s disease in a clinic population of 35 patients. This could be an overestimate because of the relatively small number of index cases. However, this study should give impetus to future studies which should more closely evaluate the familial grouping of Paget’s disease in other populations.


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Another finding by Sofaer and colleagues (16) was the diagnosis of three years earlier of Paget’s disease in those with familial disease compared to sporadic patients. The disease was diagnosed nine years earlier in the patients described by Morales-Piga and colleagues (18). Kanis (19) found no difference in age at diagnosis, but did observe that patients with a family history had more lesions detected by radiographs and bone scans as well as higher serum total alkaline phosphatase activity, reflecting more widespread disease. Morales-Piga and colleagues also found that familial Paget’s disease patients had twice the number of affected bones as did sporadic patients. It is now generally accepted that patients with familial disease tend to have an earlier diagnosis and more severe manifestations of Paget’s disease.

HLA Typing of Paget’s Disease Patients Because of known associations between disease susceptibility and histocompatibility loci on chromosome 6, numerous studies have been performed since 1975 to determine if there is any association between human leucocyte antigens (HLA) and Paget’s disease. A variety of studies have been conducted. HLA typing in groups of patients has most frequently been performed (19–24). The typing of Class 1 antigens has produced no significant results. However, in the only two studies in which Class II antigens were assessed, significant associations were found (25,26). An increased incidence of HLA-DQW1 and HLA-DR2 was found in a preliminary report of 53 patients in Los Angeles (25). A second study of 25 Ashkenazi Jews in Israel revealed an increased incidence of HLADR2 (26). Another study relevant to HLA typing is a preliminary report of increased HLA DRB1*1104 (Class II) gene frequency in Ashkenazi Jews with Paget’s disease living in Los Angeles and New York (27). Since Asian populations have a very low frequency of the HLA DRB*1104 gene this could be related to the rarity of Paget’s disease in people of Asian ancestry. However, the significance of all these observations is unclear. Two possibilities arise: these associations could be the result of an epistatic effect of these HLA loci with Paget’s disease or, alternatively, these associations could be evidence of loose linkage of a predisposition for Paget’s disease to a HLA DR locus. The latter interpretation would be consistent with a founder effect in these populations.

HLA Linkage Studies In studies of families with Paget’s disease, the results of linkage studies to the HLA loci have been variable. Studies in New York (28) and New Zealand (29) gave suggestive evidence of linkage using standard linkage analysis. In the study from New York, three families with 29 informative children (all over the age of 45) were utilized. These kindreds were typed at the HLA-A, -B, and -C loci. Using haplotype data, the investigators (28) obtained a maximum LOD score of 2.44 at

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a recombination fraction of 0.01. However, since a LOD score of 3 is needed to establish linkage, these data suggest but do not establish linkage between HLA and a Paget’s disease predisposition locus. Likewise, the families studied in New Zealand were not sufficient to establish linkage between the HLA locus and a predisposition gene for Paget’s disease. In those studies (29), the investigators described two new kindreds. The first New Zealand kindred included four affected and four unaffected members. All four unaffected individuals were evaluated before the age of 45. In this kindred, only one recombinant was observed between the HLA loci and the putative Paget’s disease predisposition locus. This “supposed” recombinant was in a 42-yr-old female who had the “affected” haplotype but did not appear to be affected based on a normal serum alkaline phosphatase level and no clinical signs of Paget’s disease. In the second New Zealand kindred, no recombinants were observed between the Paget’s disease predisposition locus and the HLA loci in the five informative loci. For the linkage analysis, the investigators (29) used the data from all five families [three from New York (28) and two from New Zealand (29) ]. The peak LOD score obtained was 3.67 at a recombination fraction of 0.10. Thus, these combined data were sufficient for establishing a predisposition locus for Paget’s disease on human chromosome 6 near, but not at, the HLA loci. Two other family studies have been published which explored the linkage of Paget’s disease to the HLA region with both studies concluding that there was no evidence for linkage to the HLA region in their kindreds (30,31). One study used a family from Rochester, MN (30) which included six informative meioses. In this study, two recombinants were observed between the HLA loci and the Paget’s disease predisposition gene. Although no LOD score calculations were presented, this pedigree does not appear to be sufficiently large to exclude linkage. Such an exclusion would require a -2 LOD score at the same locus. Similarly, a study was published on a single family from Korea involving five informative meioses (31). One recombinant was observed in an affected individual without the “affected” haplotype. Once again, no LOD score calculations were presented. In summary, both of these studies found recombinants with the HLA loci. It should be noted that the original reports of the linkage (28,29) between HLA and a Paget’s disease predisposition gene showed recombinants in their kindreds. The original investigations placed the Paget’s disease predisposition gene within 10 recombination units from HLA. The exact location of this predisposition locus, i.e., proximal or distal, with respect to HLA loci is unclear since only HLA markers were typed in all of these kindred. Therefore, it is difficult to conclude whether the families from Minnesota and Korea are linked to a locus near HLA on chromosome 6 locus or map to another region of the genome, since precise genetic mapping of the original locus was never performed. These two families are not sufficiently large enough to prove the hypothesis that Paget’s disease is genetically heterogeneous. However, more recent studies have shown that there is more than one Paget’s disease predisposition locus in the genome.


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Genetics of Familial Expansile Osteolysis A remarkable kindred in Northern Ireland has been described in which 46 members over five generations have been found to have a skeletal disorder that resembles Paget’s disease but exhibits some striking differences (32). The disease is inherited through an autosomal dominant pattern of transmission and has been termed familial expansile osteolysis (FEO), emphasizing the dominance of the osteolytic process. Unlike typical Paget’s disease, these patients usually have an onset of symptoms in the early adult years, the lesions are more generalized, and in contrast to Paget’s disease sclerotic bone is not the characteristic radiographic finding (33). However, the osteoclasts in lesions of FEO do exhibit inclusions similar to those in Paget’s disease (34). To identify the locus involved in FEO, a genome-wide scan using genetic markers was performed. Over 300 polymorphic markers were typed through this family by Hughes and co-workers (35). After excluding more than 95% of the genome, a locus for FEO was finally identified on 18q. A maximum LOD score of 11.5 with a recombination fraction of zero was obtained. Because of the similarities between Paget’s disease and FEO, Hughes proposed that FEO could be an allelic variant of Paget’s disease, i.e., these diseases could be caused by different mutations of the same gene. The identification of the FEO gene could therefore help gain an understanding of the etiology of Paget’s disease (32). If her hypothesis is true, then Paget’s disease kindreds that link to chromosome 18 should exist.

Genetic Linkage of Paget’s Disease to Chromosome 18q Within the last few years, a number of pagetic families have been evaluated with genetic markers from the FEO region of chromosome 18. Cody and co-workers (12) evaluated 16 DNA samples from one large kindred, with eight individuals affected with Paget’s disease over the age of 34. Their analysis of the data from chromosome 18 yields a two-point LOD score of 3.4 using a genetic marker known to be tightly linked to the FEO locus. Subsequently Haslam and colleagues found evidence of linkage to 18q in five families with Paget’s disease (36). A preliminary report of a French pedigree also found linkage to 18q (37). These results supported Hughes’ hypothesis that FEO may be an allelic variant of Paget’s disease, and that both disorders are caused by the same gene. An alternative explanation, which cannot be eliminated at this time, is that this predisposition locus for Paget’s disease could be caused by a different gene which is tightly linked to the FEO locus. Strong evidence of genetic heterogeneity has been presented in one report (36) and three abstracts (37–39). In six families no evidence of linkage to chromosome 18 was found. Data regarding HLA loci were not presented in any of the above studies. A summary of all the linkage studies is presented in Table 1.

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Singer and Leach Table 1 Summary of Linkage Studies with Familial Paget’s Disease

Authors (references)

No. of families studied

Region of genome evaluated

Fontino et al. (28) Tilyard et al. (29) Moore and Hoffman (30)

3 2 + 3 from ref. (30) 1

HLA HLA HLA

Kim et al. (31)

1

HLA

Cody et al. (12)

1

Haslam et al. (36)

8

18q, near FEO locus 18q, near FEO

Lucotte (37) Genuario et al. (38)

1 2

18q, near FEO 18q, near FEO

Brown et al. (39)

1

18q, near FEO

Conclusion of authors Suggestive linkage Proof of linkage No evidence of linkage No evidence of linkage Proof of linkage 5 families linked 3 families not linked Proof of linkage No evidence of linkage No evidence of linkage

Osteosarcoma in Paget’s Disease The most feared complication of Paget’s disease is osteosarcoma. Five of the 23 patients originally reported by Paget developed this deadly neoplasm (1,3,4). The tumors develop in bone lesions previously affected by Paget’s disease. The frequency of these malignant transformations in Paget’s disease has been reported to range from 0.7% (40) to 5.5% (41), with the lower frequency reported in studies in which both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases of Paget’s disease were followed. Although there is clearly an increased risk for osteosarcoma in Paget’s disease, the molecular basis for this finding remains unclear. Paget’s disease is primarily a disease of the osteoclast, although there are increased numbers of osteoblasts in pagetic lesions. In contrast, all osteosarcomas are of osteoblastic lineage. It has been suggested that the malignant change which occurs in association with Paget’s disease is the result of prolonged abnormal cellular activity of the osteoblasts (42). Thus, it may be hypothesized that the observed higher incidence of osteosarcoma in Paget’s disease patients is related to highly active osteoblasts. Of considerable interest from the genetic standpoint are four reports of familial osteosarcomas occurring in familial Paget’s disease (43–46). Barry described two male siblings with osteosarcoma who also had an uncle and aunt with Paget’s disease (43).Brenton and colleagues observed the combination in


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two male siblings who had another brother with Paget’s disease (44). Nassar and Gravanis (45) described a father and son who had both diseases. No other relatives were known to be affected by either problem. More recently, Wu and colleagues described a family in which a brother and a sister with Paget’s disease died of osteosarcoma (46). A second sister had Paget’s disease only. These studies further demonstrate that Paget’s disease families have a high incidence of osteosarcoma. Recent evidence has indicated a molecular link between Paget’s disease and osteosarcoma, which raises another possible explanation for the increased incidence of osteosarcoma in Paget’s patients. In an attempt to identify tumor suppressor genes involved in the development of osteosarcoma, Nellisery and co-workers (47) have compared genetic analysis of osteosarcomas with matched normal controls. They have detected a tumor-specific loss of constitutional heterozygosity (also known as loss-of-heterozygosity, LOH) on 18q in 61/96sporadic osteosarcomas and in 6/7 osteosarcomas arising in Paget’s disease. The region with highest loss on 18q is hypothesized to be the site of a tumor suppressor gene. The critical region for this putative tumor suppressor gene is completely contained within the critical region for both familial Paget’s disease as defined by Cody (12) and the critical region for FEO (32). This finding provides some molecular genetic evidence that the association between Paget’s disease and osteosarcoma could be the result of a single gene or two tightly linked genes on chromosome 18. If it were the latter, than Paget’s disease and osteosarcoma could be part of a contiguous gene syndrome. Identification of the gene(s) in this region will be critical for determining which hypothesis is correct.

Giant Cell Tumor in Paget’s Disease Giant cell tumors of bone can arise in pagetic lesions but appear to be less common than sarcomas as less than 100 cases have been reported since 1931 (48). The only report in which the two problems occur in one family describes a mother, daughter, and a second cousin of the daughter with Paget’s disease and a giant cell tumor (49). However, subsequent review of the pathology by Upchurch and colleagues led to the opinion that these cases were more likely giant cell reparative granulomas (50). At the present it appears uncertain whether giant cell tumors occur in Paget’s disease on a familial basis.

Summary By the middle of the 20th century it began to be appreciated that Paget’s disease could be hereditary and that the trait was controlled by a simple autosomal Mendelian-dominant gene. Genetic linkage studies of a disorder similar to Paget’s disease, FEO, revealed a locus for FEO on chromosome 18q. Studies in several Paget’s disease kindreds have identified a similar locus on 18q but other families

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failed to demonstrate this linkage. Thus, it appears that there are two or more predisposition loci for Paget’s disease. Osteosarcoma is an uncommon complication of Paget’s disease. Recent studies have indicated that tumor-specific loss of constitutional heterozygosity on 18q can be detected in osteosarcomas arising in pagetic lesions as well as in osteosarcomas arising in patients without Paget’s disease. This suggests a tumor suppressor gene (contained within the critical region for both familial Paget’s disease and FEO) may be involved in the development of osteosarcoma. The association between Paget’s disease and osteosarcoma could be the result of a single gene or two tightly linked genes on chromosome 18.

References 1. Paget, J. (1877) On a form of chronic inflammation of the bones (osteitis deformans). Med.-Chir. Trans. 60, 37–64. 2. Singer, F. R. (1996) Paget’s disease of bone. Possible viral basis. Trends Endocrinol. Metab. 7, 258–261. 3. Paget, J. (1882) Additional cases of osteitis deformans. Trans. Roy. Med.-Chir. Soc., Glasgow 65, 225–236. 4. Paget, J. (1889) Remarks on osteitis deformans. Illustr. Med. News 2, 181–182. 5. Pick, A. (1883) Osteitis deformans. Lancet 2, 1125–1126. 6. Lunn, J. R. (1885) Four cases of osteitis deformans. Trans. Clin. Soc. London 18, 272. 7. Beclere, A. (1901) Radiographie d’un cas de maladie de Paget. Bull. Mem. Soc. Med. Hosp. Paris 18, 929–931. 8. Kay, H. D. (1929) Plasma phosphatase in osteitis deformans and in other diseases of bone. Br. J. Exp. Pathol. 10, 253–259. 9. Gutman, A. B. and Kasabach, H. (1936) Paget’s disease (osteitis deformans). Analysis of 116 cases. Am. J. Med. Sci. 191, 361–380. 10. Dickson, D. D., Camp, J. D., and Ghormley, R. K. (1945) Osteitis deformans, Paget’s disease of the bone. Radiology 44, 449–470. 11. McKusick, V. A. (1956) Heritable Disorders of Connective Tissue, C. V. Mosby Co., St. Louis, MO, pp. 200–205. 12. Cody, J. D., Singer, F. R., Roodman, G. D., Otterud, B., Lewis, T. B., Leppert, M., and Leach, R. J. (1997) Genetic linkage of Paget disease of bone to chromosome 18q. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 61, 1117–1122. 13. Morales-Piga, A., Gonzalez-Lanza, M., Arnaiz-Villena, A., Martinez-Escribano, B., Alonso-Ruiz, A., and Zea-Mendoza, A. (1983) Familial clustering in Paget’s disease, etiopathologenic implications. Presentation of a family with 12 affected members. Med. Clin. (Barcelona) 18, 43–36. 14. Melick R. A. and Martin T. J. (1975) Paget’s disease in identical twins. Aust. N. Z. J. Med. 5, 564–565. 15. Myrianthopoulos, N. C. (1970) An epidemiologic survey of twins in a large, prospectively studied population. Am. J. Hum. Gen. 22, 611–629. 16. Sofaer, J. A., Holloway, S. M., and Emery A. E. H. (1983) A family study of Paget’s disease of bone. J. Epidemiol. Commun. Health 37, 226–231. 17. Siris, E. S., Ottman, R., Flaster, E., and Kelsey, J. L. (1991) Familial aggregation of Paget’s disease of bone. J. Bone Miner. Res. 6, 495–500.


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18. Morales-Piga, A. A., Rey-Rey, J. S., Corres-Gonzales, J., Garcia-Sagredo, J. M., and Lopez-Abente, G. (1995) Frequency and characteristics of familial aggregation in Paget disease of bone. J. Bone. Miner. Res. 10, 663–670. 19. Kanis, J. A. (1991) Pathophysiology and Treatment of Paget’s Disease of Bone, Martin Dunit Ltd., London. 20. Simon, L., Blotman, F., Seignalet, J., and Claustre, J. (1975) Etiologie de la maladie osseuse de Paget. Rev. Rheum. 42, 535–544. 21. Roux, H., Mercier, P., Maestracci, D., Eisinger, J., and Recordier, A. M. (1975) HL-A et maladie de Paget. Rev. Rheum. 42, 661–662. 22. Cullen, P., Russel, G. G., Walton, R. J., and Whiteley, J. (1976) Frequencies of HLA-A and HLA-B histocompatibility antigens in Paget’s disease of bone. Tissue Antigens 7, 55–56. 23. Singer, F. R., Schiller, A. L., Pyle, E. B., and Krane, S. M. (1978) Paget’s disease of bone, in Metabolic Bone Disease, Vol. II. (Avioli, L. V., Krane, S. M., eds.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 489–575. 24. Gordon, M. T., Cartwright, E. J., Mercer, S., Anderson, D. C., and Sharpe, P. T. (1994) HLA polymorphisms in Paget’s disease of bone. Semin. Arthritis Rheum. 23, 229. 25. Singer, F. R., Mills, B. G., Park, M. S., Takemura, S., and Terasaki, P. I. (1985) Increased HLA-DQWI antigen pattern in Paget’s disease of bone. Clin. Res. 33, 574A. 26. Foldes, J., Shamir, S., Brautbor, C., Schermann, L., and Menczel, J. (1991) HLA-D antigens and Paget’s disease of bone. Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 266, 301–303. 27. Singer, F. R., Siris, E. S., Knirem, A., Gjertson, D., and Terasaki, P. I. (1996) The HLA DRB1*1104 gene frequency is increased in Ashkenazi Jews with Paget’s disease of bone. J. Bone Miner. Res. 11(Suppl. 1), S369. 28. Fotino, M., Haymovits, A., and Falk, C. T. (1971) Evidence for linkage between HLA and Paget’s disease. Transplant. Proc. 9, 1867,1868. 29. Tilyard, M. W., Gardner, R. J. M., Milligan, L., Cleary, T. A., and Stewart, R. D. H. (1982) A probable linkage between familial Paget’s disease and the HLA loci. Aust. N. Z. J. Med. 12, 498–500. 30. Moore, S. B. and Hoffman, D. L. (1988) Absence of HLA linkage in a family with osteitis deformans (Paget’s disease of bone). Tissue Antigens 31, 69,70. 31. Kim, G. S., Kim, S. H., Cho, J. K., Park, J. Y., Shin, M. J., Shong, Y. K., et al. (1997) Paget bone disease involving young adults in 3 generations of a Korean family. Medicine 76, 157–169. 32. Hughes, A. E. and Barr, R. J. (1996) Familial expansile osteolysis, A genetic model of Paget’s disease, in The Molecular Biology of Paget’s Disease (Sharpe, P. T., ed.), R. G. Landes Co., Austin, TX, pp. 179–199. 33. Crone, M. D. and Wallace, R. G. (1990) The radiographic features of familial osteolytic osteolysis. Skeletal Radiol. 19, 245–250. 34. Dickson, G. R., Shirodaria, P. V., and Kanis, J. A. (1991) Familial expansile osteolysis, a morphological, histomorphometric and serological study. Bone 12, 331–338. 35. Hughes, A. E., Shearman, A. M., Weber, J. L., Barr, R. J., Wallace, R. G., Osterberg, P. H., Nevin, N. C., and Mollan, R. C. (1994) Genetic linkage of familial expansile osteolysis to chromosome 18q. Hum. Mol. Genet. 3, 359–361. 36. Haslam, S. I., Van Hul, W., Morales-Piga, A., Balemans, W., San-Millan, J. L., Nakatsuka, K., et al. (1998) Paget’s disease of bone, evidence for a susceptibility locus on chromosome 18q and for genetic heterogeneity. J. Bone Miner. Res. 13, 911–917. 37. Lucotte, G. (1999) Genetic linkage of Paget’s disease to chromosome 18q in a French pedigree. Bone 24(Suppl), 31S.

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38. Genuario, R., Scherpbier-Heddema, J. T., Pons-Estel, B., Soler, R. I., Parque, S., Reginato, et al. (1997) Exclusion of a chromosome 18q locus in two large families with Paget’s disease of the bone. Arthritis Rheum. 40(Suppl), S279. 39. Brown, J. P., Raymond, V., and Morissette, J. (1999) Genetic epidemiology of paget’s disease of bone in eastern Québec. Bone 24(Suppl), 15S. 40. Hadjipavlou, A., Lander, P., Srolovitz, H., and Enker, I. P. (1992) Malignant transformation in Paget disease of bone. Cancer 70, 2802–2808. 41. Freydinger, J. E., Duhig, J. T., and McDonald, L. W. (1963) Sarcoma complicating Paget’s disease of bone. A study of seven cases with report of one long survival after surgery. Arch. Pathol. 75, 496–500. 42. Smith, B. J. and Eveson, J. W. (1981) Paget’s disease of bone with particular reference to dentistry. J. Oral Pathol. 10, 233–247. 43. Barry, H. C. (1969) Paget’s Disease of Bone, E. & S. Livingstone, London. 44. Brenton, D. P., Isenberg, D. A., and Bertram, J. (1980) Osteosarcoma complicating familial Paget’s disease. Postgrad. Med. J. 56, 238–243. 45. Nassar, V. H. and Gravanis, M. B. (1981) Familial osteogenic sarcoma occurring in pagetoid bone. Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 76, 235–239. 46. Wu, R. K., Trumble T. E., and Ruwe, P. A. (1991) Familial incidence of Paget’s disease and secondary osteogenic sarcoma. A report of three cases from a single family. Clin. Ortho. Rel. Res. 265, 306–309. 47. Nellissery, M. J., Padalecki, S. S., Brkanac, Z., Singer, F. R., Roodman, G. D., Unni, K. K., et al. (1998) Evidence for a novel osteosarcoma tumor–suppressor gene in the chromosome 18 region genetically linked with Paget disease of bone. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 63, 817–824. 48. Singer, F. R. and Mills, B. G. (1993) Giant cell tumor arising in Paget’s disease of bone. Recurrences after 36 years. Clin. Orthop. 293, 293–301. 49. Jacobs, T. P., Michelsen, J., Poloy, J. S., D’Adomo, A. C. and Canfield, R. E. (1979) Giant cell tumor in Paget’s disease bone. Familial and geographic clustering. Cancer 44, 742–747. 50. Upchurch, K. S., Simon, L. S., Schiller, A. L., Rosenthal, D. I. Campion, E. W., and Krane, S. M. (1983) Giant cell reparative granuloma of Paget’s disease of bone: a unique clinical entity. Ann. Intern. Med. 98, 35–40.

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CHAPTER 17

Osteopetrosis L. Lyndon Key, Jr. Introduction Osteopetrosis results from a reduction in bone resorption relative to bone formation, leading to an accumulation of excessive amounts of bone. The relative decrease in resorption is a consequence of inadequate osteoclastic bone resorption. This imbalance leads to a thickening of the cortical region and a decrease in the size of the medullary space in the long bones, with sclerosis of the base of the skull (1,2) and vertebral bodies. There are a number of serious consequences resulting from the excessive accumulation of bone. A reduced marrow space results in decrease in hematopoiesis even to the point of complete bone marrow failure. Extramedullary hematopoiesis occurs, but is unable to compensate for the reduction in medullary blood cell production. A decrease in the caliber of the cranial nerve and vascular canals leads to nerve compression and vascular compromise. Dense bones are subject to fracture and are poorly vascularized, predisposing the bones to necrosis and infection. An understanding of osteopetrosis in humans has been intertwined with the description and creation of a variety of animal mutations in osteoclastic function (3). While the precise genetic defect in most patients remains to be established (one exception being the deficiency in carbonic anhydrase type II [4,5]), the animal models have contributed substantially to the understanding of osteoclastic function and dysfunction. The osteoclast biology learned from these mutants has led to a variety of treatment strategies that have been used in patients with osteopetrosis. An understanding of the genetic basis of the animal mutations has generated a list of candidate genes which may prove to be the basis for discovering the genetic defects in humans.


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Clinical Description Classically, osteopetrosis has been divided into a fatal infantile malignant form, and a milder adult form of osteopetrosis with long-term survival (6–9). Recently, a variety of intermediate forms have been described. Without knowledge of the genetic defect explaining the osteoclastic dysfunction, it has been difficult to delineate the mechanisms of these different forms.

Infantile Forms A variety of presentations of osteopetrosis have been seen in infancy. In general, patients have had sporadic forms that appear to have an autosomal recessive inheritance. While the severe, malignant form predominates, milder forms and autosomal dominant inheritance patterns have also been observed in individuals diagnosed in the neonatal period (9,10). In the absence of a known genetic defect in osteoclastic function, histomorphometric and clinical parameters have been established to describe the degree of severity. Malignant Patients with osteopetrosis presenting at birth or in early infancy are usually referred to as having the severe, malignant form. The implication is that these patients will have severe sequellae and death during the first decade of life. This has justified the use of treatment modalities, such as bone marrow transplantation, that carry a high risk of mortality and morbidity (11–13). Patients with the malignant form are characterized by a diffusely sclerotic skeleton with little or no bone marrow space evident, even at birth (Fig. 1) (14). In addition, there is evidence of a severe defect in bone resorption leading to the presence of the “bone in bone” appearance on radiographs (Fig. 2) and in cartilaginous islands within mineralized bone on histology (Fig. 3). However, some patients with this phenotype will not have a fatal outcome. Indeed, up to 30% of patients diagnosed with severe, malignant osteopetrosis are still alive at age 6 yr with rare patients surviving into the second or third decade (14). While the quality of life is reported to be poor, up to half of the surviving patients, despite a variety of skeletal and neurologic impairments have normal intelligence and are capable of attending school (Dr. Jane Charles, personal communication). A subgroup of patients have an extremely malignant disease. In a group of 33 patients reported by Gerritsen et al., eight patients had hematological and visual impairment before three months of age (14). All eight of these patients died before the age of 12 mo. Hematological impairment before 6 mo of life is prognostic of a markedly reduced survival rate; however, visual impairment alone does not correlate with an early fatal outcome. Cytological evidence of large osteoclasts with increased numbers of nuclei and a markedly increased amount of ruffled border membrane correlates with a poor prognosis for cure with bone marrow transplantation (13,15). While there is no exact explanation for the reduced success in cure by transplantation, the defect

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Fig. 1. The skeleton, both the long bones and the pelvis, are shown to be sclerotic in this radiograph of a 5-d-old infant with anemia and optic nerve compression. Patients with this severe presentation have a 100% chance of death before age 1 yr, if untreated. Note that no intramedullary space is seen in the long bones or the pelvis.

in bone resorption in these patients could be explained if the osteoclast itself were normal, but some other aspect of the bone rendered it less resorbable. Thus, histologic and electronmicroscopic analysis of osteoclasts is recommended before a transplantation is undertaken.

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Fig. 2. This radiograph shows a phalangeal bone, obtained at autopsy from a 7-yr-old with malignant osteopetrosis treated with calcitriol. Note the presence of the original bony template (endobone, between the arrows) that was present at birth and never remodeled. The radiograph shows the presence of mineralized bone which has been laid down outside of this original bone/cartilage template without the underlying template having been resorbed.

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Fig. 3. The pathonomic feature of osteopetrosis at the histological level is the presence of unresorbed cartilage (C). Around the cartilage, a highly cellular, embryonic bone (B) has been laid down. This combination of non-resorbed cartilage and poorly formed bone is the microscopic feature which results in the macroscopic appearance seen in the “bone in bone” appearance on radiographs (see Fig. 2). The bar denotes 80 µm.

Another form of osteopetrosis that has not responded to any therapeutic modality is associated with a neurodegenerative disease (9). In some patients a neuronal storage disease has been suggested by cytoplasmic inclusions. In most patients, seizures, poor neurologic development, abnormalities in the cerebral cortex seen on magnetic resonance imaging, and early development of central apnea characterize this specific presentation. No therapy that has been tried in these patients (bone marrow transplantation, calcitriol, or interferon gamma) has resulted in any significant improvement of the disease. It is likely that even when the boney disease can be reversed (as has occurred using each of the modalities), the underlying neurologic disorder remains unaffected. Death usually occurs before 2 yr of age. Intermediate The intermediate form of osteopetrosis is frequently “silent” at birth with few or no obvious clinical abnormalities (7,9). Some cases are diagnosed in infancy, when

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Fig. 4. A radiograph of the long bones of a 6-yr-old with an intermediate form of osteopetrosis shows the presence of some intramedullary space ( denoted as "I"). The deformities of modeling result in bowing and thickening of the shaft and metaphyseal regions of the bone. Note a fracture, which was clinically not apparent, is present in the left tibia (arrow).

suspected, suggesting that the defect is present at a subclinical level even from birth. Of interest, the radiographs frequently demonstrate severe manifestation of osteosclerosis

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in this form of the disorder, quite similar to those seen in the malignant form (Fig. 4). These patients tend to have fractures toward the end of the first decade and frequently have repetitive fractures with very minor trauma. Infections of the bone can be difficult to irradicate, especially if the mandible is involved. Most patients survive into adulthood. While anemia and hepatosplenomegaly are rare, at least one patient has developed anemia and thrombocytopenia so severe that he was transfusion dependent. His anemia and thrombocytopenia were eliminated by splenectomy. A subgroup of patients with the intermediate form of osteopetrosis have a carbonic anhydrase II deficiency (4,5). These patients have a hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. Several different mutations have been described in the more than 50 cases diagnosed. Patients tend to have delayed development with a reduction in intelligence as adults, short stature, fractures, cranial nerve compression, dental malocclusion, and cerebral calcifications. Patients usually have no defects in hematological function and no increased risk of infection. Transient Some patients with severe radiographic abnormalities and with anemia have had severe osteosclerosis early which resolves without specific therapy (9; personal observation). While long-term follow up is not available in these patients, no known sequellae resulted from the condition. The patients had no visual impairment, but did have anemia and thrombocytopenia. In one patient (personal experience), there was a history of acetazolamide administration. While osteopetrosis has not been widely associated with acetazolamide administration, the existence of osteopetrosis with naturally occurring mutations in carbonic anhydrase suggests that the therapy may be related to the osteoclastic dysfunction. In both cases, the resolution in the bone disease was apparent early (within one month). In addition, patients with other milder sclerosing boney dysplasias are frequently considered to have osteopetrosis in infancy. A classic case is seen in the natural history of severe craniometaphyseal dysplasia, where early radiographs are nearly indistinguishable from osteopetrosis (Fig. 5); however, there is no involvement of the vertebral bodies.

Adult Forms In general patients with the adult forms of the disease have a family history suggesting an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern (9). Anemia is not a common manifestation; however, fractures and cranial nerve dysfunction are frequently observed (16,17). When defects have been looked for in infancy, radiographic abnormalities have been found which define the presence of the disease and portend the onset of symptoms in later life. Severe We have observed two patients who presented with severe neonatal disease who had a family history suggestive of the presence of an autosomal dominant disorder. In each of these cases, the children were diagnosed with the malignant

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Fig. 5. This radiograph of a 1-mo-old with craniometaphyseal dysplasia demonstrates sclerotic long bones with little marrow space seen in the diaphyses. It should be noted that there is already some clearing of the bone in the distal metaphyseal region of both femurs (arrows, which had been sclerotic at birth).

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Fig. 6. This is the family tree of two patients with adult forms of osteopetrosis. The presentation of these patients was severe enough (sclerosis of the long bones in one; anemia, sclerosis of the long bones and blindness in the second) to result in an initial diagnosis of the severe malignant form.

form of the disease due to anemia and cranial nerve dysfunction presenting in infancy. In one patient, there was a history of severe infections and failure to thrive. Family members in each case had survived into the fifth and sixth decade (Fig. 6). In each case, the parent transmitting the disease was unaffected. Mild The “benign” adult form of osteopetrosis is frequently “silent” until later in life (9,16,18). Two distinct subtypes have been described based upon radiographic appearance, symptoms, and biochemical characteristics. Each of these subtypes have been inherited in a variety of kindreds. Each subtype has a distinct natural history, resulting in differing symptomatic presentations. Both types have universal osteosclerosis, primarily involving the axial skeleton. Little or no modeling defects are seen in the long bones. Both types have been observed in some children in the identified families. Approximately 40% of patients with the adult form of osteopetrosis are symptom free regardless of type. Anemia is rare in either type. Bone pain is common to both types. Type I is characterized radiographically, by massive osteosclerosis of the skull with increased thickness of the cranial vault. There is diffuse osteosclerosis of the spine and pelvis. Cranial nerve compression is common in Type I. There

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are few abnormalities seen in the remodeling of boney trabeculae. Indeed, the strength of bone in Type I is increased compared to normal. Thus, pathologic fractures are rarely observed. Type II of the adult form is what was initially reported by Albers-Schonberg (1904) and later named “marble bone disease” by Karschner, 1926). Radiographs from patients with Type II disease demonstrate massive sclerosis of the base of the skull, hypersclerotic endplates of the vertebrae resulting in the “rugger jersey” spine, and subcristal scelerotic bands diagnostic of “endobones.” Bone turnover is decreased leading to a reduction in bone tensile strength, resulting in frequent fractures. In Type II, creatine phosphokinase, especially the BB isoenzyme is increased. Histomorphometric analysis shows a defect in trabecular remodeling resulting in bone that had not been replaced, yielding weakness. A gene for Albers-Schonberg disease has been localized to chromosome 1p21 within an 8.5cM region between the markers D1S486 and D1S2792 (?). More recently White et al. excluded linkage to 1p21 in two families with this disease from Indiana, demonstrating that there is locus heterogeneity of this disorder, and therefore mutations in at least two different genes can give rise to Albers-Schonberg disease (18b). In summary, the adult forms of osteopetrosis are usually diagnosed symptomatically in the second decade. These disorders rarely significantly alter hematopoiesis. Defects in Type I disease result in cranial nerve compression, but fractures are rare. In Type II disease, fractures are common, but nerve compression is rare.

Pathophysiology Osteoclast Dysfunction While animal models and a few patients have been found with a profoundly reduced number of osteoclasts, defective function rather than a reduction of formation appears to be the primary pathogenesis (12). This holds true for malignant, intermediate, and benign forms. In the malignant form, there is the possibility of replacing the defective cell and curing the disease with bone marrow transplantation. However, defects in the osteoclasts’ environment have also been suspected and may be the explanation for the greater than predicted rate of failure in bone marrow transplantation therapy in this disorder (7,14). However, to date, no patient has been definitively diagnosed with the one clear-cut stromal defect, a defect in producing macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) seen in the op/op (osteopetrotic) mouse model (20). One patient was reported with a decreased level of M-CSF after a failed transplantation; however, no data were available prior to the immunomodulation necessary for the transplantation. A defect in white cell and osteoclastic superoxide production has been documented in the majority of patients with osteopetrosis (12). The defect in superoxide generation in osteoclasts may represent a more generalized decrease in the ability of the osteoclast to resort bone. However, therapy with interferon

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gamma 1b, designed to increase superoxide production, increases white blood cell superoxide production, reducing infections; and increases bone resorption, enhancing hematopoiesis and enlarging cranial nerve foramina. The result is a reduction in the need for intravenous antibiotics, in the need for transfusions, and in a deceleration of cranial nerve damage. The net result is an improved survival with reduced morbidity.

Genetic Defects There has been a marked increase in the understanding of bone biology and specific genetic defects that could result in osteopetrosis, no specific defect, other than carbonic anhydrase deficiency, has been found in humans. M-CSF production is normal (21). There is no evidence of a defect in the c-src tyrosine kinase (22), or abnormalities in vitamin D receptors. The answers to discerning the genetic defects may be nested in the current and growing list of animal models.

Animal Models Classic A variety of animal models for osteopetrosis have been explored. The MCSF deficiency in the op/op mouse seems to be the most clearly related defect (23–28); however, replacing the M-CSF with exogenous cytokine does not result in a complete remission (29). Several possible explanations have been suggested. The timing of the administration may not be the most advantageous (29–31). Alternatively, there may be other related factors which must interact. One of the most plausible ideas is that in addition to circulating levels of M-CSF, there is also the need for membrane bound M-CSF (32) on the osteoblast or embedded in the bone surface (33) to be presented to the osteoclast or its precursors. A less clearcut defect, but a demonstrated role for M-CSF therapy in improving the phenotypic abnormalities in the tl/tl (toothless) rat (34,35), has suggested some involvement with the M-CSF production or the M-CSF receptor in the genesis of this mutant phenotype as well. To date the precise defect has not been reported. Thus, animals or humans with few macrophages and osteoclasts may be found to have a defect in M-CSF production or response. In the mi/mi mouse (microphthalmic), there is a defect in the production of a transcription factor (36). This has led to the possibility that a variety of defects, all related to the presence of a defective transcription factor, could exist in the osteoclast and/or in other cells as well. One suggested defect is a decrease in the production of the c-kit receptor, necessary for stimulation of tyrosine kinase activity with the stem cell factor (37). Stem cell factor and M-CSF activate similar receptor populations, c-kit and c-fms, which are quite similar in their binding regions. There is also data suggesting that possibly there is a defect in the ability of mi/mi stromal cells, failing to support osteoclastic function (7), or possibly even inhibiting osteoclastic function in vitro.

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Both M-CSF and/or interferon gamma have been shown to improve the defect in the mi/mi mouse (20). Since these cytokines are not deficient in these animals, the studies suggest that these therapies circumvent the specific defects, rather than reversing the defects directly. Similar effects of these cytokines have been observed in patients with osteopetrosis where defects are unknown and not directly related to deficiencies in cytokine production or response elements.

Knock-out Perhaps the greatest interest has been in the analysis of man-made knockout mutations which have been found to yield an osteopetrotic phenotype. The most important and well-studied of these mutants is the c-src knock-out mutation (24,38). In this mutation, the c-src tyrosine kinase is defective and yields a mutant with osteoclasts lacking ruffled borders. This appears to be due to the lack of production of phosphorylated proteins necessary to allow fusion of the membrane of endosomes with the cellular membrane within the sealed attachment of the osteoclast to bone. The result is an inactive cell with none of the machinery present at the basolateral membrane, necessary to resorb bone. The precise mechanism is not well understood and seems to be more complex than originally thought. In the c-fos knock-out mutation (39–42), there are few mature osteoclasts formed. In this mutation, there is a reduction in the number of osteoclasts and an increase in the number of macrophages. Thus, it appears that c-fos is related to the “switch point” in the osteoclast lineage which determines whether the progenitor moves in the direction of the osteoclast or the macrophage (39). In other more recent experiments, the association between osteoclast differentiation and PU.1, a myeloid- and B-cell-specific transcription factor, or NF-κB proteins was determined in knock-out mice which surprisingly also exhibited the classic hallmarks of osteopetrosis. These studies showed that both osteoclasts and macrophages were absent in PU.1-deficient (43) and NF-κB1/ NF-κB2 (44) doubleknock-out mice. These results suggest that these transcription factors play essential roles in regulating development along the osteoclast/macrophage lineage. Additional studies are necessary to define osteoclast-specific target genes for these transcription factors and to understand how the transcriptional regulation of these genes controls the development along the osteoclast and macrophage lineage. At the present time, knock-out mutations have been much more important in understanding osteoclastic function than in explaining the human osteopetrotic condition. However, these studies do provide a variety of candidate genes (both those already identified and possible defects in the same or related families of proteins) that may someday be found in one or more forms of osteopetrosis. Just as this review is considerably different from one published just two years ago, there is no doubt that we are on the brink of detecting a variety of genetic abnormalities which will unlock our understanding of this family of defects.

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Summary In summary, significant progress has been made in classifying osteopetrosis. There are at least three major categories (malignant, intermediate, benign) of the disease with a variety of subtypes. This classification allows prognostic information to be provided to the parent or patient, improving decision making concerning the appropriate therapy. The genetics of osteopetrosis have not been worked out, but the explosion of animal mutations expressing osteopetrotic phenotypes promises to lead to the identification of some, if not all, of the mutations in the near future. Finally, treatment is largely still directed toward enhancing osteoclastic function in general, rather than being targeted toward specific defects. Bone marrow transplantation remains the only hope of complete cure. The introduction of calcitriol, M-CSF, and Interferon gamma-1b provides promise for the future survival and hopefully, the cure of osteopetrosis. As in the past, this very interesting family of disorders continues to lead the way in developing our understanding of osteoclast function.

References 1. Elster, A. D., Theros, E. G., Key, L. L., and Chen, M. Y. M. (1992a) Cranial imaging in autosomal recessive osteopetrosis. Part I. Facial bones and calvarium. Radiology 183,129–135. 2. Elster, A. D., Theros, E. G., Key, L. L., and Chen, M. Y. M. (1992b) Cranial imaging in autosomal recessive osteopetrosis. Part II. Skull base and brain. Radiology 183, 137–144. 3. Seifert, M. F., Popoff, S. N., Jackson, M. E., Mackay, C. A., Cielinski, M., and Marks, S. C. (1993) Experimental studies of osteopetrosis in laboratory animals. Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 294, 23–33. 4. Fathallah, D. M., Bejaoui, M., Sly, W. S., Lakhoua, R., and Dellagi, K. (1994) A unique mutation underlying carbonic anhydrase II deficiency syndrome in patients of Arab descent. Hum. Genet. 94, 581–582. 5. Whyte, M. P. (1993a) Carbonic anhydrase II deficiency. Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 294, 52–63. 6. Grodum, E., Gram, J., Broxen, K., and Bollerslev, J. (1995) Autosomal dominant osteopetrosis: Bone mineral measurements of the entire skeleton of adults in two different subtypes. Bone 16(4), 431–434. 7. Key, L. L., Jr. (1987) Osteopetrosis: a genetic window into osteoclast function. A CPC series: cases in metabolic bone disease, Vol. 2, No. 3. 8. Shapiro, F. (1993) Osteopetrosis. Clin. Rel. Res. 94, 34–44. 9. Whyte, M. P. (1993b) Sclerosing bone dysplasias, in Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism, Raven Press, New York, pp. 327–331. 10. Manusov, E. G., Douville, D. R., Page, L. V., and Trivedi, D. V. (1993) Osteopetrosis (Marble Bone Disease) Am. Fam. Physician 47(1), 175–180. 11. Gerritsen, E. J. A., Vossen, J. M., Fasth, A., Friedrich, W., Morgan, G., Padmos, A., et al. (1994b) Bone marrow transplantation for autosomal recessive osteopetrosis. Pediatrics 896–902. 12. Key, L. L., Jr. and Ries, W. L. (1993) Osteopetrosis: the pharmaco-physiologic basis of therapy. Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 294, 85–89.

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13. Schroeder, R. E., Johnson, F. L., Silberstein, M. J., Neuman, W. L., Hoag, J. M., Farber, R. A., and Noguchi, A. (1992) Longitudinal follow-up of malignant osteopetrosis by skeletal radiographs and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis after bone marrow transplantation. Pediatrics 90, 986–989. 14. Gerritsen, E. J. A., Vossen, J. M., van Loo, I. H. G., Hermans, J., Helfrich, M. H., Griscelli, C., and Fischer, A. (1994a) Autosomal recessive osteopetrosis: Variability of findings at diagnosis and during the natural course. Pediatrics 90, 986–989. 15. Shapiro, F., Key, L. L., Jr., and Anast, C. (1988) Variable osteoclast appearance in human infantile osteopetrosis. Calcif. Tissue Int. 43, 67–76. 16. Bollerslev, J. and Mosekilde, L. (1993) Autosomal Dominant Osteopetrosis. Clin. Orthop. Rel. Res. 294, 45–51. 17. Bollerslev, J., Marks, S. C., Jr., Mosekilde, L., Lian, J. B., Stein, G. S., and Mosekilde, L. (1994) Cortical bone osteocalcin content and matrix composition in autosomal dominant osteopetrosis type I. Eur. J. Endocrinol. 130, 592–594. 18. Johnston, C. C.,Jr., N. Lavy, T. Lord, F. Vellios, A. D. Merritt, and W. P. Deiss, Jr. (1968) Osteopetrosis. a clinical, genetic, metabolic, and morphologic study of the dominantly inherited, benign form. Medicine 47, 149–167. 18b. Albers-Schonberg, H. (1904) Röntgenbilder einer selten Knochenkrankung. Muenchener Med. Wschr. 51, 365. 19. White, K. E., Koller, D. L, Takacs, I., Foroud, T, Econs, M. J. (1999) Locus heterogeneity of autosomal dominant osteopetrosis (ADO) J. Clin. Endocrinol Metab. 84, 1047–1051. 20. Key, L. L., Jr., Rodriguiz, R. M., and Wang, W. C. (1995a) Cytokines and Bone Resorption in Osteopetrosis. Intl. J. Pediatr. Hematol./Oncol. 2, 143–149. 21. Orchard, P. J., Dahl, N., Aukerman, L., Blazar, B. R., and Key, L. L., Jr. (1992) Circulating macrophage colony-stimulating factor is not reduced in malignant osteopetrosis. Exp. Hematol. 20, 103–105. 22. Meyerson, G., Dahl, N., and Pahlman, S. (1993) Malignant osteopetrosis: C-src kinase is not reduced in fibroblasts. Calcif. Tissue Int. 53, 69–70. 23. Begg, S. K., Radley, J. M., Pollard, J. W., Chisholm, O. T., Stanley, E. R., and Bertoncello, I. (1993) Delayed hematopoietic development in osteopetrotic (op/op) mice. J. Exp. Med. 177, 237–242. 24. Lowe, C., Yoneda, T., Boyce, B. F., Chen, H., and Mundy G. R. (1993) Osteopetrosis in Src-deficient mice is due to an autonomous defect of osteoclasts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 4485–4489. 25. Marks, S. C., Wojtowicz, A., Szperl, M., Urbanowska, E., Mackay, C. A., WiktorJedrzejczak, W., et al. (1992) Administration of colony stimulating factor-1 corrects some macrophage, dental, and skeletal defects in an osteopetrotic mutation (toothless, tl) in the rat. Bone 13, 89–93. 26. Nilsson, S. K., and Bertoncello. (1994) The development and establishment on hemopoiesis in fetal and newborn osteopetrotic (op/op) mice. Dev. Biol. 164, 456–462. 27. Philippart, C., Tzehoval, E., Moricard, Y., Bringuier, A.-F., Seebold, C., Lemoine, F.-M., Arys, A., Dourov, N., Labat, M.-L. (1993) Immune cell defects affect bone remodelling in osteopetrotic op/op mice. Bone Miner. 23, 317–332. 28. Wiktor-Jedrezejczak, W., Urbanowska, E., and Szperl, M. (1994) Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor corrects macrophage deficiences, but not osteopetrosis, in the colony-stimulating factor-1-deficient op/op mouse*. Endocrinology 134(4), 1932–1935.

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29. Sundquist, K. T., Cecchini, M. G., and Marks, S. C. (1995) Colony-stimulating factor-1 injections improve but do not cure skeletal sclerosis in osteopetrotic (op) mice. Bone 16 (1), 39–46. 30. Hofstetter, W., Wetterwald, A., Cecchini, M. G., Mueller, C., and Felix, R. (1995) Detection of transcripts and binding sites for colony-stimulating factor-1 during bone development. Bone, 17(2), 145–151. 31. Lee, T. H., Fevold, K. L., Muguruma, Y., Lottsfeldt, J. L., and Lee, M. Y. (1994) Relative roles of osteoclast colony-stimulating factor and macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the course of osteoclast development. Exp. Hematol. 22, 66–73. 32. Stanley, E. R., Berg, K. L., Einstein, D. B., Lee, P. S. W., and Yeung, Y. G. (1994) The biology and action of colony stimulating factor-1. Stem Cells 12(suppl 1), 15–25. 33. Ohtsuki, T., Hatake, K., Suzu, S., Saito, K., Motoyoshi, K., and Miura, Y. (1995) Immunohistochemical identification of proteoglycan form of macrophage colonystimulating factor on bone surface. Calcif. Tissue Int. 57, 213–217. 34. Aharinejad, S., Marks, S. C., Jr., Bock, P., Mason-Savas, A., MacKay, C. A., Larson, E. K., Jackson, M. E., Luftensteiner, M., and Wiesbauer, E. (1995) Csf-1 treatment promotes angiogenesis in the metaphysis of osteopetrotic (toothless, tl) rats. Bone 6(3), 315–324. 35. Marks, S. C., Mackay, C. A., Jackson, M. E., Larson, E. K., Cielinski, M. J., Stanley, E. R., and Aukerman, S. L. (1993) The skeletal effects of colony-stimulating factor-1 in toothless (osteopetrotic) rats: Persistent metaphyseal sclerosis and the failure to restore subepiphyseal osteoclasts. Bone 14, 675–680. 36. Steingrimsson, E., Moore, K. J., Lamoreux, M. L., Ferré-D’Amaré, A. R., Burley, S. K., Zimring, D. C., Skow, L. C., Hodgkinson, C. A., Arnheiter, H., Copeland, N. G., and Jenkins, N. A. (1994) Molecular basis of mouse microphthalmia (ml) mutations helps explain their developmental and phenotypic consequences. Nat. Genet. 8, 256–263. 37. Ebi, Y., Kanakura, Y., Jippo-Kanemoto, T., Tsujimura, T., Furitsu, T., Ikeda, H., et al. (1992) low c-kit expression of cultured mast cells of mi/mi genotype may be involved in their defective responses to fibroblasts that express the ligand for c-kit. Blood 80(6), 1454–1462. 38. Boyce, B. F., Chen, H., Soriano, P., and Mundy, G. R. (1993) Histomorphometric and immunocytochemical studies of src- related osteopetrosis. Bone 14, 335–340. 39. Jacento, O. (1995) c-fos and bone loss: a proto-oncogeneregulates osteoclast lineage determination. BioEssays 17(4), 277–291. 40. Grigoriadis, A. E., Wang, Z., Cecchini, M. G., Hofstetter, W., Felix, R., Fleisch, H. A., and Wagner, E. F. (1994) c-Fos a key regulator of osteoclast-macrophage lineage determination and bone remodeling. Science 266, 443–448. 41. Johnson, R. S., Spiegelman, B. M., and Papaioannou, V. (1992) Pleiotropic effects of a null mutation in the c-fos proto-oncogene. Cell 71, 577–586. 42. Wang, Z., Ovitt, C., Grigoriadis, A. E., Mohle-Steinlein, U., Ruther, and Wagner, E. F. (1992) Bone and haematopoietic defects in mice lacking, c-fos. Nature 360, 741–745. 43. Tondravi ,M. M., McKercher, S. R., Anderson, K., Erdmann, J. M., Quiroz, M., Maki, R., and Teitelbaum, S. L. (1997) Osteopetrosis in mice lacking haematopoietic transcription factor PU. 1. Nature 386, 81–84. 44. Iotsova, V., Caamano, J., Loy, J.,Yang, Y., Lewin, A., and Bravo, R. (1997) Osteopetrosis in mice lacking NF–κB1 and NF–κB2. Nat. Med. 3, 1285–1289.

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CHAPTER 18

Hypophosphatasia Michael P. Whyte Introduction Hypophosphatasia (McKusick #146300, #241500, #241510) is a heritable metabolic bone disease that establishes a critical (but as yet unspecified) role for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in skeletal mineralization (1,2). Subnormal activity of ALP in serum (hypophosphatasemia) is the biochemical hallmark of the disorder, and reflects a generalized deficiency of activity of the tissue-nonspecific (liver/bone/ kidney) ALP isoenzyme (TNSALP) (3). Catalysis by the tissue-specific ALP isoenzymes—intestinal, placental, and germ-cell (placental-like) ALP—is not diminished (3). The impaired skeletal mineralization caused by the deficient TNSALP activity manifests clinically as rickets in infants and children and as osteomalacia in adults. In fact, the severity of the disease among patients with this inborn error of metabolism is extraordinarily variable (1–3). Reviewed below, the perinatal and infantile forms of hypophosphatasia, which are often lethal, are transmitted as autosomal recessive traits due to homozygosity or compound heterozygosity for a considerable number and variety of mutations in the TNSALP gene. Of interest, and now becoming understood, patients with the more mild childhood, adult, or odontohypophosphatasia forms of hypophosphatasia can have TNSALP mutations associated with more severe disease and also demonstrate autosomal recessive inheritance. Further intriguing aspects of hypophosphatasia include some kindreds with clinically mild disease manifesting autosomal dominant transmission, especially rare cases that may be caused by defective regulation of TNSALP gene expression or TNSALP enzyme processing, and a few patients who have pseudohypophosphatasia. This chapter provides first a brief overview of the molecular and biochemical nature of ALP, then describe the remarkable range of clinical expressivity for hypophosphatasia, and conclude with a summary of what has been reported concerning TNSALP gene defects and their biological sequelae. The Genetics of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Ed.: M. J. Econs © Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Alkaline Phosphatase Alkaline phosphatase (orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase, alkaline optimum, EC 3.1.3.1) apparently is present in most plants and in all animals (4). In humans, ALPs are encoded by at least four genes (5–7). Three of the ALPs isoenzymes are expressed in a tissue-specific manner—intestinal, placental, and germ-cell (placental-like) ALP. The fourth isoenzyme is present in all tissues, but is especially rich in liver, bone, and kidney (5,6). Hence, this “liver/bone/kidney” ALP is also called “tissue-nonspecific ”ALP (TNSALP) (3,6,7). It has been suggested that in humans there may also be a fetal intestinal ALP isoenzyme (7). The distinctive physicochemical properties separating the ALPs purified from human liver, bone, and kidney tissue disappear after digestion with glycosidases (8). Thus, TNSALPs are actually a family of “secondary” isoenzymes (isoforms) which differ only by posttranslational modifications involving carbohydrate residues (9). The TNSALP gene (McKusick *171760) is located near the end of the short arm of chromosome 1 (1p36.1-34) (10); the genes for intestinal, placental, and germ-cell ALP and perhaps fetal intestinal ALP (McKusick *171740, *171750, *171800, *171810, respectively) are located near the tip of the long arm of chromosome 2 (2q34-37) (11). Unfortunately, the current human gene mapping symbol for the TNSALP locus is ALPL (“ALP-liver”) although the function of the liver isoform of TNSALP is unknown (7,12). Each ALP locus has been sequenced (13–15). The TNSALP gene is greater than 50 kb and contains 12 exons, 11 of which are translated to form the 507 amino acid nascent enzyme (6,15). The promoter region for TNSALP is located within 610 nucleotides 5' to the major transcription start site (16). TATA and Sp1 sequences may act as regulatory elements. Apparently, basal levels of TNSALP gene expression reflect inherent “housekeeping” promoter activity, whereas differential expression in various tissues may be mediated by a posttranscriptional mechanism (16). In fact, the 5' untranslated region differs between the bone and liver TNSALP isoforms (17). The tissue-specific ALP genes are smaller than the TNSALP gene, primarily due to shorter introns. Amino acid sequences deduced from the cDNAs suggest 87% positional identity between placental and intestinal ALP, but only 50–60% identity between TNSALP and the tissue-specific ALPs (5,6). Nevertheless, the active site of TNSALP, which is encoded by six exons and comprised of 15 amino acid residues (18), reflects a nucleotide sequence that has been conserved in ALPs found throughout nature (19). TNSALP seems to represent an ancestral gene, whereas the tissue-specific ALPs in man likely originated from a series of gene duplications (5). The ALPs are Zn2+-metalloenzymes (4,5). Catalytic activity requires a multimeric configuration of identical subunits ranging from 40–75 kDa (6). Each

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monomer has one active site and binds two Zn 2+ atoms that stabilize its tertiary structure (20). The cDNA sequence of TNSALP predicts five potential N-linked glycosylation sites (15). Indeed, N-glycosylation is necessary for enzymatic activity (17). O-glycosylation involves the bone, but not the liver, isoform of TNSALP (17). The ALPs are generally regarded as homodimeric in the circulation (4,6). However, in tissues ALPs are attached to cell surfaces probably as homotetramers (21,22). TNSALP, in symmetrical dimeric form, has α/β topology for each subunit with a 10-stranded β-sheet at its center (23). ALP isoenzymes have broad substrate specificities and pH optima, which depend on the type and concentration of phosphocompound undergoing catalysis (4). Catalytic activity requires Mg2+ as a cofactor (4). Hydrolytic activity cleaves phosphoesters and inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) (24). The reaction involves phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of a serine residue and dissociation of covalently linked Pi seems to be the rate-limiting step. In fact, Pi is a potent competitive inhibitor of ALP activity (4,20). Of interest, however, Pi may also stabilize the enzyme (25). Relatively little is established concerning the biosynthesis of ALP in higher organisms. Analysis of the human ALP isoenzyme gene sequences indicates that the nascent polypeptides have a short signal sequence of 17–21 amino acid residues (5,6) and a hydrophobic domain at their carboxy-termini (13–15). These ALPs become tethered to the plasma membrane surface where they are bound to the polar head group of a phosphatidylinositol-glycan moiety and can be liberated by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase (22,23,26). However, the precise interaction with phosphatidylinositol may differ among the ALP isoenzymes (26). Intracellular degradation of ALPs can involve proteosomes (27). Although lipid-free ALP circulates in the blood, how it is released from cell surfaces is poorly understood (28). In healthy men and women, most of the ALP in serum apparently consists of equal amounts of TNSALP from liver and bone tissue (29). However, in infants and children, and particularly during the growth spurt of puberty, the circulation is enriched in the bone isoform of TNSALP (4). Placental ALP normally enters the blood only in women during the latter stages of pregnancy (3). With the discovery in 1988 that a deactivating mutation in the TNSALP gene could cause hypophosphatasia came unequivocal evidence that TNSALP acts critically during mineralization of the skeleton in man (30). However, the seemingly undisturbed function of other organs/tissues in hypophosphatasia patients questions the biological significance of TNSALP elsewhere in the human body (1–3,6).

Hypophosphatasia More than a half century ago, in 1948, J.C. Rathbun, a Canadian pediatrician, coined the term hypophosphatasia when he published his description of an infant

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Fig. 1. Three phosphocompounds seem to be natural substrates for TNSALP, because each accumulates endogenously in hypophosphatasia:phosphoethanolamine (PEA), inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP).

boy who died from severe rickets, weight loss, and seizures, yet whose ALP activity in serum, bone, and other tissues was paradoxically subnormal (32). Several hundred patients have since been described in the medical literature (3). Major advances in our understanding of hypophosphatasia included the discoveries of elevated levels endogenously of three phosphocompounds (Fig. 1). Each accumulation clarifies the metabolic basis of this disorder and the physiological role of TNSALP (3). The origin of the PEA excess may reflect a disturbance in the degradation of the cell surface anchors for ALPs and other proteins. Excess PPi, an inhibitor of hydroxyapatite crystal growth, may explain the defective skeletal mineralization (33). Markedly elevated plasma PLP levels indicate that TNSALP acts physiologically as an ectoenzyme (1–3,34).

Clinical Features Hypophosphatasia occurs worldwide. However, it is especially common in the Mennonite population of Manitoba, Canada. In these often inbred families,

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1 in 2500 newborns suffers severe disease and about 1 in 25 individuals is a carrier for the disorder (35). The incidence of severe hypophosphatasia in Toronto, Canada, is understandably lower, and was estimated in 1957 to be 1 per 100,000 live births (36). Although relatively high levels of TNSALP activity are found in bone, liver, kidney, and adrenal tissue in healthy individuals, and at least some TNSALP is present in other cell types throughout the body, hypophosphatasia disturbs primarily the skeleton and the dentition (1–3). Nevertheless, clinical expression varies remarkably among patients and ranges from death in utero to problems only with dentition during adult life (36–40). In fact, some individuals who manifest characteristic biochemical abnormalities (see below) may never become symptomatic (38,39). Although within sibships hypophosphatasia generally breeds true, significant differences in disease severity can occasionally occur in this setting as well (see later) (38,39,41,42). Because the genetic basis for hypophosphatasia is now being rapidly elucidated (3,7), there is promise for a better understanding of this variable disease severity and a molecular nosology in the near future. Nevertheless, the current classification of patients for prognostication and recurrence risk estimates, and soon, remains a clinical one. Several such schemes have been proposed that attempt to deal with this inborn error of metabolism’s remarkable range of expression (36,37). Six forms of hypophosphatasia constitute a useful separation. The age at which lesions in bone are first documented distinguish the perinatal, infantile, childhood, and adult form of hypophosphatasia (36,40). Patients who have dental manifestations alone are regarded as having “odontohypophosphatasia.” An extremely rare variant, pseudohypophosphatasia, resembles infantile hypophosphatasia, but serum ALP activity is normal or elevated in routine assays used in clinical laboratories (3). The prognoses for these six types of hypophosphatasia reflect the severity of the skeletal disorder which, in turn, reflects the age at which the bone disease presents itself. Generally, the younger a patient becomes symptomatic, the more severe the condition lifelong (1,2,36). Levels of ALP in serum (adjusted for patient age) and levels of substrate accumulation endogenously also reflect disease severity (3). Although the above nosology is useful, there is considerable variability within each form of hypophosphatasia, no clear-cut separations between them, and prognostication is imprecise. Perinatal (lethal) Hypophosphatasia Perinatal hypophosphatasia is the most severe form. It manifests in utero and often causes stillbirth. Neonates have caput membraneceum and short, deformed limbs that reflect soft bones from profound skeletal hypomineralization. Some affected newborns survive for a few days, but then suffer increasing pulmonary compromise from rachitic defects of the thorax and from hypoplastic lungs (43). They may fail to gain weight and can have a high-pitched cry, periodic apnea with cyanosis and bradycardia,

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Fig. 2. (A) Variable expression of hypophosphatasia in siblings. Perinatal hypophosphatasia manifested in this stillborn girl with profound skeletal hypomineralization, femoral fractures, and “missing” vertebrae. A plastic umbilical cord clip (arrow) has similar density to the skeleton.

irritability, unexplained fever, myelophthisic anemia, intracranial hemorrhage, and seizures (37,40). Very rarely there is prolonged survival (44). Radiographic study distinguishes perinatal hypophosphatasia from even the most severe types of osteogenesis imperfecta and other forms of congenital dwarfism. In fact, the X-ray findings at birth are essentially diagnostic (45,46). Nevertheless, the radiographic changes can be diverse (46). In some patients, the skeleton appears almost totally unmineralized. In other patients, there is marked bony undermineralization and severe rachitic changes (Fig. 2A,B). Cranial bones

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Fig. 2. (B) Infantile hypophosphatasia had been diagnosed in her brother at 31/2 mo of age. He died at 8 mo of age. His skeleton is much better mineralized, as shown here at 4 mo of age, compared with his sister’s.

may seem calcified only centrally, giving the illusion that the sutures are widely separated, and individual vertebrae may appear to be missing. Infantile Hypophosphatasia Infantile hypophosphatasia manifests before 6 mo of age (36). Growth and development often seem normal until poor feeding, inadequate weight gain, and clinical signs of rickets are noted. The cranial sutures feel wide, but the ossification abnormality in the calvarium can cause a functional craniosynostosis with increased intracranial pressure. True premature bony fusion of the cranial sutures sometimes occurs if the patient survives infancy (45). A flail chest from rachitic deformity, rib fractures, scoliosis, etc. may fatigue patients, make feeding difficult, and predispose them to pneumonia. Hypercalcemia and hyper-

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calciuria, apparently from inability of the skeleton to sequester calcium absorbed from the diet, is common and can contribute to inanition, recurrent vomiting, nephrocalcinosis, and renal compromise (36,47,48). The radiographic features of infantile hypophosphatasia are distinctive and resemble the perinatal form, although less severe (45). Sequential X-ray studies may disclose not only rachitic disease, but gradual skeletal demineralization that is an especially worrisome prognostic sign (48). Childhood Hypophosphatasia Childhood hypophosphatasia is also quite variable in its clinical expression (36,43,49). Typically, several deciduous teeth are lost prematurely (i.e., earlier than 5 yr of age) with only minimal resorption of their roots. Hypoplasia or dysplasia of dental cementum fails to anchor the tooth root (50,51). However, the prognosis for the permanent dentition is generally better (52). Rickets often causes short stature and delays walking. Patients may complain of joint pain and stiffness, as well as isolated episodes of joint swelling. They can have considerable weakness in their limbs (especially the thighs) consistent with a static myopathy (53). There is a characteristic waddling gait (36,47). Beading of the costochondral junctions; either bowed legs or knock-knees; enlargement of the wrists, knees, and ankles from flared metaphyses; and occasionally a brachycephalic skull are additional physical findings. Radiography of the wrists and knees often demonstrates characteristic focal bony defects—“tongues” of radiolucency that project from the physes into the metaphyses. Functional or true craniosynostosis can occur. Adult Hypophosphatasia Adult hypophosphatasia typically presents during middle age (38,39). Not infrequently, however, patients recall being told that as children they had rickets and suffered premature loss of deciduous teeth. Osteomalacia in adult life manifests with painful feet due to recurrent, poorly healing metatarsal stress fractures. Sometimes, there is discomfort in the thighs or hips caused by proximal femoral pseudofractures. Early loss or extraction of adult teeth is not uncommon (38,39,54). Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition, occasionally with attacks of arthritis (pseudogout), troubles some patients. Others have PPi arthropathy (38,39). In some kindreds, there is periarticular deposition of calcium phosphate that manifests clinically with “calcific periarthritis” (55,56). Odontohypophosphatasia Odontohypophosphatasia is diagnosed when the only clinical manifestation stems from the dentition and radiographic or biopsy studies exclude skeletal disease (3). Pseudohypophosphatasia Pseudohypophosphatasia is a particularly intriguing form of hypophosphatasia that has been documented convincingly in only two infants (57,58). The clinical,

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radiographic, and biochemical findings resemble infantile hypophosphatasia, except that serum ALP activity is consistently normal or increased in routine assays (57,58). The enzymatic defect apparently involves a mutant TNSALP that retains or has enhanced catalytic activity under the nonphysiological conditions of clinical ALP assay procedures, but has diminished hydrolytic activity endogenously (59).

Laboratory. Diagnosis Hypophosphatasia is diagnosed with confidence when a compatible clinical history, physical findings, and radiographic changes occur with clearly and consistently subnormal serum ALP activity (3). In general, the more severe the disease the lower the serum ALP activity adjusted for age (3). Also differing from other types of rickets or osteomalacia, neither calcium nor Pi levels in serum are low in hypophosphatasia. In fact, hypercalcemia occurs frequently in the infantile form of the disease (37,60), and in childhood and adult hypophosphatasia serum Pi levels are above the mean value for controls and approx 50% of patients are distinctly hyperphosphatemic due to enhanced renal reclamation of Pi (increased tubular maximum for Pi/glomerular filtration rate; i.e., TmP/ GFR) (61). Several patients reportedly have had elevated serum PTH levels, but renal compromise from hypercalcemia with retention of immunoreactive PTH fragments, perhaps, is the explanation. Conversely, low circulating levels of PTH occur also (62).

TNSALP Deficiency Early on, autopsy studies of perinatal and infantile cases elucidated the enzymatic defect underlying hypophosphatasia and inferred its etiology. Profound deficiency of ALP activity was documented in liver, bone, and kidney tissue, yet ALP activity was not diminished in intestine or in placenta (fetal trophoblast) (63,64). This observation concurred with amino acid sequences and other data obtained from ALPs purified from healthy human tissues (1,2,6) and indicated a defect which selectively diminished the catalytic activity of the secondary isoforms comprising the TNSALP isoenzyme family. Investigation of the cardinal biochemical feature of hypophosphatasia, hypophosphatasemia, supports the autopsy studies. There is subnormal activity of both the liver and bone isoforms of TNSALP in serum (29,65). Coincubation experiments with mixtures of serum (as well as cell coculture and heterokaryon studies using fibroblasts) exclude the presence of an inhibitor or the absence of an activator of TNSALP (36,38,66,67). Instead, the hypophosphatasemia seems to reflect a more fundamental disturbance of bone and liver TNSALP activity in the circulation (65). Preliminary observations using autopsy specimens and a polyclonal antibody to the liver isoform of TNSALP suggest that normal amounts of TNSALP protein can be found in tissues in severe hypophosphatasia (68,69). However, a monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay measuring dimeric TNSALP dem-

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onstrated low levels of the bone and the liver TNSALP isoforms in the serum of patients representing all clinical forms of hypophosphatasia except pseudohypophosphatasia (65). Accordingly, sequestration of TNSALP within cells or disruption of TNSALP dimeric structure subsequent to release from plasma membrane surfaces could be occurring in hypophosphatasia patients (65). Recently, there is evidence from studies of a few TNSALP gene mutations that aberrant TNSALP can indeed accumulate with cells (see below). Some ALP activity is detectable by especially sensitive methods in liver, bone, and kidney tissue and in skin fibroblasts in culture in severely affected patients (70,71). However, the enzyme in fibroblasts has different physicochemical properties compared with the enzyme in normal cells, though it is TNSALP-like (70). Furthermore, the physicochemical and immunological properties of these TNSALPs differ from patient to patient (72).

Inheritance The first evidence that hypophosphatasia has a genetic basis came when affected siblings were described in 1950 (73). Early on, family studies of severe disease in infants or children indicated autosomal recessive inheritance. Consanguinity was reported in some kindreds. Parents of patients were sometimes noted to have low or low-normal levels of ALP activity in serum and PEA was sometimes detected in their urine (36,60). For the milder forms of hypophosphatasia, the inheritance pattern has been less clear. In some reports, the childhood and adult forms, as well as odontohypophosphatasia, are regarded as autosomal recessive conditions (74–76). Indeed, generation-to-generation transmission of clinically apparent disease seems to be unusual (38,39), yet biochemical abnormalities and mild disease have been reported as dominant traits (38,39,52,77–79). Occasionally, mild and severe disease occur in different generations of the same family (38,79,80). Identification of carriers for hypophosphatasia by biochemical methods can be difficult—necessitating quantitation of several biochemical markers including urinary PPi levels (81). Pyridoxine loading, followed by assay of plasma PLP levels, distinguishes patients from controls especially well (82), and can help to identify carriers as demonstrated in studies involving the Mennonite population in Canada (83).

TNSALP Gene Defects Chromosomal defects have been rarely reported in hypophosphatasia. In 1970, a common D/D translocation (nonbanded methodology) seems to have been a coincidental finding in one affected adult (66). Complex phenotypes are also unusual. Phenylketonuria was described in one infant with low serum ALP activity, phosphoethanolaminuria, and generalized skeletal demineralization (84). Morquio syndrome together with hypophosphatasia occurred in a Hutterite family in Canada. Here, coincidence of two autosomal recessive conditions appears to be the explanation (85).

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In 1984, a brief preliminary report based upon skin fibroblast heterokaryon studies involving 10 unrelated patients with perinatal or infantile disease described absence of complementation (i.e., persistently low cellular ALP activities) indicating a single defective gene locus in hypophosphatasia (67). In 1987, linkage studies by Chodirker and co-workers of the Rh blood group to hypophosphatasia in six Mennonite kindreds from Manitoba provided evidence that the “candidate” TNSALP gene would be altered in this Canadian population (86). In 1988, characterization of the gene encoding TNSALP by Weiss and colleagues (15) provided the basis for understanding of the molecular pathology of hypophosphatasia (15,87). Indeed, that same year, these investigators discovered a missense mutation within the TNSALP gene in an infant boy with perinatal hypophosphatasia born to second cousins (30). The patient was homozygous and both parents were carriers of a single base transition. Transfection analysis confirmed that the gene defect diminished the altered enzyme’s catalytic activity. Furthermore, information derived from X-ray crystallography of E. coli ALP (20) suggested that in the patient’s TNSALP the spatial relationship of metal ligands to an important arginine residue at the catalytic pocket had been disrupted (30). In 1992, Henthorn and workers sequenced TNSALP cDNAs from four additional unrelated patients with perinatal or infantile hypophosphatasia (87). A different missense mutation was documented in the eight TNSALP alleles examined, suggesting that there would be considerable molecular heterogeneity causing this inborn error of metabolism. Notably, allele-specific oligonucleotide screening of leukocyte DNA from 50 unrelated hypophosphatasia patients disclosed 23 individuals harboring one of these defects, several of whom had relatively mild disease — including the childhood, adult, or even the odonto form of hypophosphatasia. However, the nature of the other TNSALP allele in these individuals was not known at that time. Also noted in this report, two sibs with typical childhood hypophosphatasia and one unrelated elderly woman with typical adult hypophosphatasia were compound heterozygotes for the identical combination of TNSALP gene missense mutations. Hence, it was demonstrated that childhood and adult hypophosphatasia can be the same disorder, and that these more mild forms of hypophosphatasia can be transmitted as autosomal recessive traits (87). Further analysis showed that each of the nine TNSALP gene missense mutations identified by 1992 altered an amino acid residue conserved in mammalian TNSALPs, including some residues that are conserved in bacteria (19). The three-dimensional structure of E. coli ALP (19,20) indicated that some of the nucleotide substitutions would disturb metal ligand binding in the mature enzyme, but how the other mutations were deleterious was not understood (19). In 1993, Greenberg and colleagues reported that homozygosity for a tenth TNSALP missense mutation accounted for the severe hypophosphatasia that is prevalent in Canadian Mennonites, presumably explained by a founder effect and inbreeding (35).

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Amino Acid Change

(18,92) Precursor (87) (18,92) (18,94) (87*) (87) (92) (18,95) (18,92) (95) (18,92) (18,94) (18,94) (18,92) (18,94) (95) (98) (18,92) (95) (18,87) (95) (30) (18,94) (87*) (95) (18,92) (18) (18,92) (90) (18,92) (87) (88) (94) (90) (18,94) (27,44) (18,35,99) (95) (35) (87,101*)

S-1F A16V A23V M45L R54C R54P G58S A94T G103R A111T G112R R119H G145V N153D H154Y A160T A162T R167W E174G E174K A177T A179T C184Y Q190P E191G R206W G232V W253X L272F E274K D277A E281K D289V L289F D289V F310L G317D F327L G334D D361V

Exon

3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10

Hypophosphatasia (95) (18) (95) (18,94) (87*) (18,92) (18,92) (44) (18,92) (18,94) (18,92) (18) (94) (18) (18,94) (89) (18,94) (27,96)

347 V365I R374C V382I R411X Y419H S428P R433C G439R G456S E459K G474R 648+1A** 862+5A** 997+3C** delG544** delCTT1154-1156** delC1172** delT1735**

10 10 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. 9 n.a. 12

*Allele also contains Y246H amino-acid change. **Nucleotide changes instead of amino-acid changes.

Subsequent studies from 1994 to 1998 by Ozono et al. (44), Orimo et al. (88, 89), Sugimoto et al. (90), and Cai et al. (27) characterized additional TNSALP gene mutations in the Japanese population — including nonsense, donor splice site, and frame shift deletions. In 1998, Mumm et al. detected additional missense mutations in North America (91). Also in 1998, Mornet and co-workers reported 18 TNSALP gene mutations in 13 European families with the perinatal, infantile, or childhood forms of hypophosphatasia (92). Among these mutations, 15 were novel and, once again, most were missense (92). These investigators found that 24 of the 26 alleles harbored a defect responsible for severe hypophosphatasia. In two patients, however, only one mutation was found. This observation seemed consistent, therefore, with a possible dominant negative effect or a functional role for some polymorphisms in the TNSALP gene (92,93). Computer-assisted modeling of the mutated TNSALPs in this study did not reveal any obvious modification in the predicted enzyme structure, except for mutation R206W that possibly abolished a turn between two β-sheets (92). In 1999, Taillandier and colleagues reported 11 additional mutations in European patients with severe hypophosphatasia (94). In summary, 58 different molecular defects have been reported at the time of this writing in the TNSALP gene in hypophosphatasia patients (Table 1). The mutations include missense, nonsense, donor splice site, and frame shift deletions (30,35,44,87,91,92,94,95). We now know that all major clinical forms of

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hypophosphatasia can involve TNSALP gene defects. Furthermore, all principal forms of hypophosphatasia, even the clinically most mild form, odontohypophosphatasia, can be inherited as autosomal recessive traits (96). Hence, it is now apparent that in outbred populations worldwide, molecular diagnosis of hypophosphatasia will require extensive analysis of the TNSALP gene (87,92,93). Exceptionally rare cases of hypophosphatasia, however, could be due to a regulatory defect in the biosynthesis of TNSALP. In one boy with the infantile form of hypophosphatasia, a series of intravenous infusions of pooled normal plasma was followed by a 4-mo correction of hypophosphatasemia. Normalization of his serum ALP activity was due to skeletal synthesis of the bone isoform of TNSALP (97). Remarkable transient remineralization of osseous tissue occurred during this period of ALP correction. The significant but brief clinical, radiographic, and biochemical improvement could not simply be attributed to the infused ALP, because the circulating half-life of the ALPs is just a few days (97). The molecular basis of pseudohypophosphatasia is unknown, but the inheritance pattern seems to be autosomal recessive (3,59).

Genotype/Phenotype Correlations In 1998, several groups of investigators using transfection studies reported that mutations associated with severe hypophosphatasia can impair intracellular transport leading to TNSALP enzyme aggregation within cells (92,94,96,98,99). Also, some TNSALP gene defects may diminish expression of the mutated TNSALP allele or alter TNSALP mRNA stability (44,100). In 1999, Zurutuza and colleagues reported on genotype/phenotype correlations in European patients with hypophosphatasia (18). Disease severity, assessed by a lethal outcome (typically within the first year of life), was contrasted with ALP activity in renal MDCK cells transfected with patient TNSALP cDNA containing missense mutations. Missense mutations that caused profound reductions in MDCK ALP activity (5000 people would need to be screened in order to achieve a reasonable chance of detecting the sequence variant. Thus, functional testing is the only certain way of confirming the role of a sequence variation in disease. 4. Difficulties in finding mutations: Occasionally difficulties are encountered when screening for mutations. Large genes in particular are difficult to

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screen. This difficulty may in part be due to the vast area to be covered and the few mutations present.

Mutation Detection Methods The development of mutation detection methodologies has advanced rapidly in recent years. The core techniques are research laboratory based, and can cope well with a reasonable number of samples. Other approaches have been developed that are suitable for screening much larger number of test DNAs. These highly advanced automated methods are based on ingenious DNA-chip technologies (see below). Because of the adaptability of the hardware, and the potential application to other molecular techniques, it is conceivable that the DNA-chip may soon be cost effective for the smaller research laboratories (10). The main considerations when choosing a mutation detection approach are the end objectives. There are two possible aims: (1) Screening for a single known mutation in a panel of normal and affected individuals (generally diagnostic); (2) The detection of any change in sequence from the standard (screening candidate genes for mutations). This chapter will discuss methods suitable for the second approach. The main rationale behind mutation screening is a direct comparison of a test sequence with standard sequence. This can be done by sequencing all the test samples directly and comparing them to controls. This method however is laborious, and generates an excessive amount of information (scaling up analysis time). The task is made more difficult by the necessity of sequencing the postulated altered region of at least 100 control samples. This is to ensure that the change is not a benign variation in sequence, but a real mutation. The direct sequencing approach is to a great extent superceded by methods that compare the electrophoretic behavior of mutant and normal single-stranded or duplex DNA molecules. These new elegant techniques can reliably detect single base changes in DNA sequence. One of these approaches directly compares heterozygousDNA from test and controls using heteroduplex analysis. The heterozygous DNA is melted and allowed to reanneal. Some of the wild-type and mutant alleles form a DNA heteroduplex. Heteroduplex DNA has a different mobility compared to homoduplex strands when separated by electrophoresis through special hydrolink gels (see below).

Heteroduplex Mutation Screening As with most of the techniques used for screening mutations, the first step is amplification of the region of interest using PCR. This is done by designing primers that flank the sequence to be amplified, followed by thermal cycling and amplification using a thermal stable polymerase such as Taq DNA polymerase. In most cases the flanking primers are designed from 5' and 3' intronic sequence flanking a specific exon (see Fig. 3 for an example

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Fig. 3. The scheme shows alignment of exon 17 of the PHEX gene with other members of the M13 Zinc metallopeptidase family (NEP; neprilysin, ECE-1; endothelin converting enzyme, KELL; KELL antigen), and a mutation detected by SSCP in a patient with X-linked rickets (Mutant). The residues are amino acids coding for the exonic sequence, and PCR primers (designed from flanking intron sequence), were used to amplify the complementary DNA coding sequence (not shown). The mutation was detected by SSCP as described in the text (see Fig. 4), and involves a substitution of glycine to arginine. A single base change (G to A), in the normal glycine codon GGA converted the glycine to an arginine (AGA), in the patients PHEX protein (7). The change is adjacent to the zinc binding motif (highly conserved in zinc metallopeptidases). A key feature of this region is the clustering of hydrophobic residues, and also some β sheet structure. In this context, replacing glycine that has an uncharged polar R group, with the basic positively charged arginine reduces the hydrophobicity, and also extends predicted b sheet.

from the PHEX gene exon 17). For the heteroduplex method, maximum sensitivity is achieved by designing primers that amplify products smaller than 200 bp. Fragments of this size and smaller will generally detect insertions, deletions, and most single-base substitutions. The amplified DNA from a heterozygous individual is melted and allowed to reanneal as mentioned earlier (11). Heteroduplex DNA has reduced mobility compared to homoduplex DNA in nondenaturing gel electrophoresis experiments. To improve resolution electrophoresis and separation is carried out in specially designed gel matrices such as Hydro-linkTM, or MDE TM gels. Bands are visualized after ethidium bromide staining. To detect X-linked mutations in hemizygous males, or homozygous mutations in general, the addition of wild-type DNA is necessary prior to the melting and reannealing step. The technique is simple to use, and easy to set up. Disadvantages are short sequence requirements (

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